Obvious

"Hey there!" was all the warning Venti gave Morax before dashing to hug them. "Oh my! It's good to see you too, old friend," they chuckled, returning the embrace. "What brings you to Liyue?" "Well you see…" Venti pulled away, crossing his arms. "I had the strangest dream where a friend of mine, thought to be dead, told me they were still alive, but didn't bother to tell me the story of how or why they were 'killed' in the first place!" Venti explained, careful not to out Morax to any passersby who might be listening to his indignation. "Ah… I see. How inconsiderate of him." So it was 'him' this time, Venti noted. "Very rude indeed." "Come home with me then. There is much to tell." "You live in Liyue Harbor now?" Venti asked, following him down a turn. "I do. Oh, and you should know I am currently going by Zhongli." "Venti. Nice to meet you again." Zhongli smiled softly when Venti joined their hands. "Likewise." "I like the new look." "Thank you." "Definitely beats that dumb cloak thing with the ponytail hole you used to wear," Venti teased. "It was fashionable at the time," Zhongli protested, not without a cringe. "It wasn't really, but nobody was brave enough to tell you that." Zhongli scoffed and pulled his hand away. "Hey!" Venti clung to his arm and looked up at him with his best pleading eyes. He sighed and surrendered his hand to being held for the rest of the walk. It was a fairly normal apartment for Liyue Harbor. The interior was well designed, clearly something Zhongli put thought into, yet it didn't immediately give him away as swimming in mora, and it was reasonably modern, with sparing old-fashioned touches. Just by a quick look around, Venti became sure of it--Morax had finally gotten tired. He was going to stay dead. This was the start of a new life. Venti would be surprised though if he hadn't saved some relics tucked away in a sub-space. They settled at the table. Naturally, Venti had brought dandelion wine to share as Zhongli told his story, starting by confirming what Venti had guessed. "I suppose you're going to gloat now about how you told me so." Venti giggled. He had, on several occasions, told Morax that he worried too much and should try letting Liyue be more independent, sometimes in response to his ideas about how Venti should improve Mondstadt's economic efficiency or whatever. More than once, their vastly different approaches to being archons had led to arguments. Though there was no denying Venti felt a bit vindicated now, more than anything, he felt pride for his oldest friend. "I'm happy for you." It was so good to see him smile--to see him relaxed. Zhongli went on to explain that, before officially retiring, he felt he needed to be certain Liyue could handle itself in a disaster without him, and so he had orchestrated his trial and created an identity that would allow him to observe from the inside. "And so I became Zhongli, Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's expert on adeptal ceremonies." "Oh, I see, you wanted to oversee your own funeral. Self-important much?" Venti realized. Zhongli crossed his arms, giving him a neutral face of displeasure. "Most people have forgotten the old traditions. I needed to ensure the rite was conducted properly." Venti laughed, shaking his head, condescending yet fond. His friend had changed, and yet he was the same as always. "Sounds to me like you faked your death for the attention." "A bold accusation coming from you." "I don't know what you mean!" Venti protested with exaggerated offense. "Anyway…" Zhongli chuckled before continuing. There was an old feeling welling up in Venti's chest--a fond, longing feeling that had always annoyed him, because what he wanted wouldn't work. They were too different. Though Morax had enjoyed his company as a friend, surely he would have considered Barbatos too flighty to be a suitable partner. Even if, by some chance, he'd felt the same way, Barbatos had feared they might end up trying to change each other. But maybe now, they understood each other better. Venti had come to realize during the rebellion against the Mondstadt aristocracy that he could have prevented the situation from becoming so oppressive had he been more attentive, and now Zhongli was finally embracing a good taste of freedom. Maybe now… And then Zhongli started talking about Aether. Venti had expected that they would play into this story somewhere. Aether had come to Liyue to seek out Morax, after all. But Zhongli described in unnecessary glowing detail how sweet and helpful Aether had been, what a strong and noble fighter they were, and worst of all… "I had the privilege of hearing Aether sing while we were traveling together. They have the loveliest voice--soft timbre, angelic resonance, and with an impressive range--" "Yeah, I've heard it. It's nice. What happened next?" Venti finally had to interrupt. Nice, sure, but the loveliest? Aether had some talent, but they weren't a professional bard! Maybe it was a bit petty, but even the most exquisite specimen of jade in all of Liyue would find itself jealous of the admiration Aether received. Who could blame him? "Oh… my apologies. It seems I have… digressed," Zhongli only just now realized. He took a drink of the wine he'd forgotten for the last few minutes while he refocused. If it were anything else he was flustered over, Venti would have teased him before his composure could recover. He stayed mostly on course for the rest of the tale, but his self-consciousness from there on whenever he mentioned Aether doing anything praiseworthy still made his affection painfully obvious. If this was what Zhongli was like when he was in love, then there was no way he could have secretly felt the same way Venti did all this time, as he'd dared to hope. He would have been able to tell, right? After Venti's questions about Morax's 'death' were answered, they chatted about what regular life was like for the two of them now. It didn't take long before Zhongli casually mentioned a date with Aether, then stammered, "Ah, I neglected to mention… that is… also a development that has occurred." Dear archons, he was hopeless. So it was mutual then. Of course it was. Whywouldn'tAether love this precious blockhead? "Whoa, that happened quickly!" Venti replied, trying to sound simply surprised and not at all upset. Zhongli let out a contented laugh. "I suppose I was a bit impulsive with this arrangement, but it's a nice change of pace to simply follow my heart this time. I'm sure you can understand." Venti crossed his arms in mock suspicion. "Who are you and what have you done with Morax?" "I killed him and organized his funeral. Were you not paying attention?" "How could you?" Venti joked. "So, has Aether gone on to another region, or…?" "Not just yet. They are currently working on a commission from the Adventurer's Guild, but they should be back in time to join us for dinner." "Dinner... uh… actually I just remembered! I borrowed something from Lisa and then forgot to tell her I was leaving Mondstadt! She'll be wondering where I went with it. I should hurry back." It wasn't a lie, mostly. Venti had, in fact, accidentally taken the nirnama detector with him, but he had actually realized that a quarter of the way to Liyue and decided then that turning around was too much trouble. Now, however, it made a convenient escape route. He just wasn't prepared to see the two of them being happy together. "Already? I'm sure Aether would be delighted to see you again, even if only for a few minutes." "Lisa can get pretty scary when people don't return things! I'll meet up again with them some other time." Venti downed the last bit of wine in his glass and got up to leave. Zhongli stood as well. "Very well, but don't stay away too long." "Oh? Did you miss me?" Venti teased. "I did," he replied with a complete sincerity Venti couldn't bear to disappoint. He embraced him once again. "Then I'll visit again soon… promise." One had to think before making promises to the god of contracts, but this one, Venti was comfortable making. He wanted to spend more time with Zhongli, and once Aether left Liyue, he'd be able to manage his unrequited feelings. Venti was surprised to run into Aether and Paimon a few days later at the plaza by the cathedral. They found a bench, and the two told him a story about helping an astrologist find a mysterious box, hoping its contents could help them divine answers about 'gods and kin', a little adventure that had taken them back to Mondstadt. Venti happily listened. He and Aether were friends--and maybe Paimon?--and he didn't want to let his jealousy ruin that. Venti noticed Nora nearby, appearing to be talking to herself, and took the opportunity to show off the nirnama detector. "Hey, want to see something neat?" he asked, pulling out the lens. "That just looks like a monocle." "I know, right? Apparently, though, it's called a nirnama detector. I'm borrowing it from Lisa. It's supposed to make imaginary friends visible. Sadly, she isn't able to use this one herself, so I'm testing it out for her, to see if it actually works." "Huh? Why can't Lisa use it?" Paimon asked. "Hmm... Perhaps it's because she lacks a certain childlike sense of wonder? Or maybe there's some other reason for it. If you want to know for sure, just ask her yourself sometime. I wonder if it will work for you, Aether. See the kid over there?" He gestured and handed over the lens. Aether looked, and took in a breath of awe. "Do you see 'em? Do you see 'em?" Paimon demanded. "There's another kid there! It looks like they're having a good time together. That's amazing." They watched as Nora and her imaginary friend ran off together. "Paimon wants to see! ...Wait, but this gizmo isn't in Paimon's size," she grumbled. "Alright then, you'll have to be Paimon's eyes on the ground! Let's go see what everyone's imaginary friends look like!" "Oh? Don't you have a quest to get back to?" Venti asked. "Well…" Aether hesitated, "since I'm here now anyway, it wouldn't hurt to stay just a little longer." "You're sure?" "Yeah." Venti decided not to press further. "Flora from the flower shop always seems kinda... floaty-headed. You know? Paimon bets she has an imaginary friend." The city below was quiet, the night air warm with a gentle breeze. Venti sang a soft, familiar melody, a memory of a long lost friend, with a new one listening beside him in the outstretched palms of the Barbatos statue. Somehow, running around Mondstadt observing imaginary friends had led them to a quest to help Jack find the legendary Sword of Brilliant Valor and Shield of Magnificent Honor, which 'Stanley' had allegedly left in Dadaupa Gorge. It had been an eventful day, with some unpleasant reminders of the past, but it had also brought him and Aether closer together, and for that, he was appreciative. By the time he let the final note fade, he felt at peace. "It's beautiful, the song, and also you," said Aether. Venti was often complimented, as a bard, and yet, from Aether, it made him feel as glittery as the night sky, and made him crave more praise. Oh no. It had been hard enough pining for one of them. "You're amazing," they continued. "You're a lot cleverer than you let on. As soon as I realized the sword was fake, I would have said so if you hadn't given me that look. I didn't know what you were up to at the time, but it turns out you were right. I thought Stanley--or Hans?--was just trying to preserve his ego, but he was also trying to preserve Jack's dreams, and you saw that, didn't you?" "Maybe I did, or maybe I just wanted to get the wine Jack promised for my help," Venti argued, though he couldn't help sounding pleased with himself. Aether shook their head, unconvinced. "You just don't want people to expect much from a capricious little bard." "You've got me there," he admitted. "So, I guess you'll be leaving tomorrow?" "I'm not sure. While I'm here, I might stop by the knight's headquarters and see if they need anything." "The knights could always use an extra hand for something. If you don't leave until they have nothing for you to do, you'll be here forever." Aether was quiet, but Venti could sense their quickening breath in the air. "You're nervous about sneaking into Inazuma, aren't you?" Venti remembered how they'd shaken at the prospect of sneaking into the Favonius church to steal the holy lyre, and shied away from him, afraid the god of freedom would try to compel them. He'd assured them he would do no such thing, and to prove it, had gone to steal the lyre himself, or tried to, at least. Aether had still been willing to use their reputation as honorary knight to defend him from repercussions, at least, and seemed to trust him more after that. "I am," they admitted. "No one is supposed to be going in or out. If something goes wrong… I'm afraid I'll end up trapped there." "You don't think me and Zhongli are going to let anyone take you away from us, do you?" A preposterous notion. "I'm sure he'll be checking in on you through your dreams. If something like that happens, we'll find out, and we'll find a way to help you." "Really?" Venti leaned closer in, wrapping his arms around them. "I mean it, and I know Zhongli would agree." Aether held him tight in response. "Thanks. That makes me feel a bit better." "Good." Held this closely, this warmly, Venti could think of nothing more eloquent to say. Though Aether's hold loosened after a moment, Venti tentatively stayed leaning on their shoulder, then slumped comfortably there when Aether didn't object. It probably wasn't wise of him, and he might regret it later, but for right now, he wanted to find out where the line was and stay just behind it. "Hey Venti?" "Mm?" "Zhongli told you about us?" "Yeah, he wouldn't shut up about you." Hopefully his chuckle sounded amused and not jealous. "Did he tell you it's an open relationship?" Venti sat up. "Oh, um, no, that didn't come up." "Well, yeah, and I was thinking, I've had a wonderful time with you today, and maybe… I could take you out?" "Aether…" The offer put a thrill and ache in his chest all at the same time. "I want to say yes, but I don't think I can share him with--I mean, share you with him." Damn it. "I see." Of course Aether saw right through his slip up. "Does he know how you feel?" "Um… probably?" "So you haven't told him?" "Well, not explicitly, but--" "Maybe you should try being obvious. He can be a little dense sometimes, you know." "Did you need to be obvious?" Venti grumbled. "Yes! I was flirting with him the whole time in Tianheng Pass, and then he invited me to dinner, and he didn't realize where I thought it was going until I asked if I could kiss him." Aether let out a sigh of fond exasperation. "Alright, maybe I overestimated him," Venti laughed. "Maybe we can head back to Liyue Harbor together then," Aether suggested. "Um…" he hesitated. "Well, I should take some time to think about what to say, don't you think?" "Now who's procrastinating?" Aether teased. "You've waited long enough already, and you'll have time to think on the way." "You're just impatient to have a triad if this works out, aren't you?" Venti retorted. "Well, I mean, it would be nice," they stammered, looking away from him, filling Venti with an urge to lean in and kiss their cheek to fluster them even more. Maybe he was impatient too. "Alright. We can head back tomorrow." Though Venti was nervous, Aether had managed to make him hopeful that this might actually work. This part of the woods in Wuwong Hill were dimly lit by ghostly blue lamplight. At regular intervals near the lights were ragged signs that acted as a foreboding guide through The Test of Courage, and scattered about were other props, such as something that looked like a spindly outstretched hand, and a large glimmering web that was fake--probably? Venti wasn't scared exactly, but the atmosphere was enough to make him alert, and he may have jumped at a rustling noise here or there. Zhongli, on the other hand, listened as Venti read the sign in his best eerie voice, and then, calm as ever, and without a moment's hesitation, took off a glove to touch the web. "I see. Silk flower thread from the strain that thrives with high sun exposure, and appears to shine in the light. It produces an especially flexible and reflective material. I must say it makes a rather convincing spiderweb in this lighting." "You aren't even a little spooked, are you?" Venti complained, slightly annoyed that his dramatics failed to make an impression. "I suppose I'm accustomed to Wuwong Hill. It is near the border between the world of the living and the dead, so it is a place where spirits reluctant to pass on often linger. As such, Wangsheng sends someone every now and then to make sure that nothing is amiss, and to conduct rituals when needed." "What? You should have said this would bore you before I brought you here!" "It's alright Venti. If I didn't wish to come, I would have told you so." "But I wanted this to be something, I don't know… special." Zhongli turned to face Venti, who quickly shied from his gaze, and took his hand with his ungloved one. "Any time spent with you is special to me," he assured. Venti felt a gentle pull, and realized Zhongli had made to keep going, assuming he would follow, but he still hadn't recovered from the warmth of the hand enveloping his own. "Venti? Are you alright?" "I've been meaning to tell you…" his stomach did a backflip the second he tried to meet Zhongli's eyes. Nevermind, he wasn't ready for this. But now what did he say? "Um--" Venti jumped as a scream pierced the air from a ways to the left. Zhongli was surprised too, his grip tightening for an instant. "That was probably staged, right?" Venti asked. Then they heard panicked shouting about a ghost. "I think we should make sure there isn't a problem." "I think it came from somewhere around here," said Venti, and the two slowed down. "Hello?" he called. "Any ghosts here? We come in peace." Hesitantly, a small, pale form peeked out from behind a thick tree. Not a hostile spirit then, unsurprisingly. Most of them weren't, but seeing them was still a shock to the average mortal. In that case, there was no reason to be unfriendly. "Hey there!" Venti greeted. "I'm Venti, and this is my friend Zhongli. What's your name?" "Qianqian," she answered, emerging from her hiding place. She was a child, eight at most--or rather, that was how old shehadbeen. "You… aren't afraid of me?" "No, you don't seem scary." She glided a few steps closer, and beamed when neither of them flinched. "Will you play with me? Please? No one has played with me in a really long time!" Venti and Zhongli looked at each other and knew they were in agreement. "Gladly," Zhongli answered. Qianqian decided they were going to play hide and seek, and that she was going to be it first. Venti and Zhongli went easy on her. Her squeal of joy when she found Venti made his heart melt. This was probably the most fun the poor girl had had in a long time. After her, Zhongli was seeker. He actually found Venti first. Though Qianqian wasn't terribly good at seeking, they underestimated her as a hider. It was her laughter as they passed right by that ultimately gave her away. Venti was up next, and when he spotted Zhongli's hiding place from behind his line of sight, he was struck with a most evil idea. Quieting his breath, he crept toward Zhongli until was just behind him, and then… "Boo!" Zhongli gasped and stumbled into one of the bushes he was croached between, and Venti also collapsed out of laughter. He glared down at Venti as he brushed himself off, which only amused him more. Then he pulled Venti upright, his hold not painful, but firm. "If you'requitefinished rolling on the ground like a buffoon, I believe we have a ghost to find." He let go. Venti didn't want him to let go yet. So, still giggling, he let himself fall forward slightly, into Zhongli's chest, expecting to be corrected again. But Zhongli let him stay there for a few seconds as his laughter faded, leaving Venti wondering if that meant something. "Qianqian, if I may, what is it that keeps you tethered to the realm of the living?" Zhongli asked after several rounds. "I need to be strong for mommy." "Why is that?" "Because it makes her very sad that I'm sick. I'm going to get better, and then I can go home." Why did that hit him like a punch in the chest? This was a dead child. Obviously her story wasn't going to be a happy one. Still, Venti never got used to the idea of children dying, before they had a chance to fulfill their dreams. But as unpleasant as it was to discuss, it was getting late, and they couldn't keep playing with Qianqian forever. "Qianqian, I'm sure you did your best, but it's too late for that now," Zhongli continued. "No! No, I can… I can still get better." She wanted to believe it, but was less sure of herself now, and started to cry. "I don't want to make mommy sad." "Your mother wouldn't want you to blame yourself for this." "Yeah, it isn't your fault," Venti agreed, reaching out to her in a certain way--a gentle touch, not physical, but something she could actually feel, and she clung to it for comfort. After taking some time to calm down, she asked, "What… are you?" "I'm Barbatos, the god of freedom. I can take you across, if you'd like." "Um… you think mommy would want me to go?" "You haven't been happy staying here, have you? It's gotta get boring and lonely." She nodded. "Do you think she'd want that for you?" Qianqian thought about that for a moment. "No. Mommy wants me to be happy. If I go, then one day, she'll come find me on the other side, right?" "That's right." "Okay. I'll go there with you." Qianqian decided. She turned back to Zhongli. "Goodbye Zhongli, and thanks for playing with me." "It was my pleasure." Then Qianqian metaphorically took Venti's hand, and for a moment he was floating out of his body and into another realm, guiding Qianqian with him. They exchanged farewells too, in a language without words, and he could feel that her spirit was at peace now. Not knowing what to say when he returned, Venti instead summoned his lyre, and played a Liyuen lullaby as a final tribute to Qianqian before they left. "Venti…" Zhongli began, hesitantly, once they were out of the woods, where other participants in the Test of Courage might overhear. "There's something I've wanted to ask you for a long time." "Oh?" Venti asked, trying not to get ahead of himself, but his heart was already trying to leap out of his chest. "What was it that frightened you that night?" "Oh, uh… well that came out of nowhere," he laughed awkwardly. "Did it? I cannot help but notice that you've been acting in the way that you used to when you were after my attention. It reminds me of the arrangement we once had… as well as the sudden end of it. I've often wondered why you left." So he'd noticed Venti craving his attention, and still managed to not quite get it! Although, now that he thought about it, maybe Zhongli wasn't wrong. Maybe scaring him and falling into him on purpose just to see if he'd straighten Venti up again had been kind of bratty things to do. "Uh…" Venti stammered, cringing at the painful memory of that night Zhongli spoke of. Morax stroked Barbatos' hair gently, and, unable to reach for her in any other way, he pushed his cheek against her hand. "You're being unusually good today, Barbatos," she said, looking down at him with satisfaction. "You actually seem eager to please me. Perhaps I should reward you. Any requests?" He hadn't realized it until now, but she was right. Barbatos had barely put up a quip of resistance this time, and had done as he was ordered without hesitation. He hadn't meant to be a very submissive sub, more of a masochist who liked the pretense of struggling and being punished. But this time, he was eager to please Morax, and filled with pride to see that he had. What had happened to the god of freedom? "Barbatos?" She tilted his chin to lock their eyes. Male or female, dragon or human, or anything else she could think of, Barbatos would always know Morax with a look into those amber eyes. Right. Requests. What did he want? All he could think at that moment was that he wanted her to love him, a revelation that sent a chill through his blood and suddenly made his restraints feel suffocating. He closed his eyes so the gold could no longer hypnotize him, and spoke the word on shallow breaths, how many times he wasn't sure, until he could move his wings and arms again seconds later. He fumbled for clothes, which Morax helped him collect and put back on. "What's wrong?" she asked, with such a sweet look of concern that Barbatos almost wanted to fall into her arms and cry. But he needed to get away, from the luxurious sub-space dungeon she'd created just to play with him in, and from her. "I need to go." "Barbatos--" Before she could say another word, he was back in the physical world and soaring away. And he didn't return for quite some time. "I will not press if you are uncomfortable with discussing it, but allow me to say that I am sorry, and that I never intended to truly hurt you," Zhongli tried to say evenly, but his voice was heavy with remorse. Venti should have known he would never forget something like that. "It's been bothering you for a long time, hasn't it?" "It was my responsibility to keep you safe and well." "And you were perfectly diligent about it," Venti assured. "A model Dom, really. Exactly what I'd hoped for." He wasn't convinced. "Don't give me false praise. If that were so, you would have trusted me to help resolve the issue." "Alright," Venti decided, crossing arms. "You wanna know what you did wrong? You made me fall for you, dummy!" His burst of indignant courage was gone soon after he spoke, and he looked away. "Oh. This is unexpected." He sounded genuinely surprised. "What do you mean 'unexpected'? Your skull can't possibly bethatthick!" "Well, I didn't think your flirtatious behavior meant anything serious. For that sort of relationship, I thought you would want someone more easygoing and playful, like yourself." At least he had the decency to sound apologetic. "Dear archons," Venti huffed. "Is that all you have to say?" "No." Venti gasped when Zhongli caressed his cheek, then gently urged him to look up at him again. Those amber eyes gazed at him softly. "I think I've fallen for you as well." Overcome with euphoric relief, Venti threw his arms around Zhongli with a reckless abandon that made him stagger a little, but after getting his bearings, he held Venti in return for what was surely several minutes, but felt like no time at all to the two of them. "Aether must have told you our relationship was open, then?" "Yeah, I know you would never cheat." "I will need to promptly inform them of this development." "Of course. I'm sure they'll be quite pleased with themself." "Oh? Why is that?" Venti giggled. "We had a little chat in Mondstadt. They encouraged me to tell you how I felt, and we decided that if this worked out, it would be the three of us." "Oh, that sounds wonderful. I suppose we should deliver the news together then." "I'd like that." Thinking about Aether and the songs they'd sung together on the way back to Liyue, Venti remembered something. He finally pulled away from the embrace. "Can I ask you something that might sound kind of petty?" "Go on." "Do you think Aether sounds better than me?" Venti watched horror dawn on Zhongli's face. "Venti, I'm sorry. Oh, that must have been an ordeal to listen to. That's why you left." "Yep," he sighed. "No, I find you both enchanting in your own ways. You radiate charisma when you perform. You seem quite confident in your abilities, and rightly so. You have excellent control of your pitch, breath, and volume. I love hearing the notes you hold, and your portamentos are quite graceful as well." The compliments had Venti glowing inside, and he hardly felt that he could contain it. He summoned a small wind current beneath him, floating just enough to make it easier to kiss Zhongli, who welcomed him wholeheartedly, and when Venti became too distracted and let his air current fade, caught him with a stool of rock before he could fall. "Thanks," he laughed. Venti and Zhongli were on the way back to Liyue Harbor, crossing a bridge over a stream in Guili Plains, when they heard a mechanical growling noise from a little ways upstream. "There!" Venti was the first to spot the ruin guard, spinning its giant metal arms in pursuit of a familiar form. "Aether!" He was about to glide off the bridge, but Zhongli caught him. "I think Aether can handle this. Let us observe their skills." "Yeah, you're right. That's less work for us," Venti agreed, setting his elbows on the railing. Aether made a dashing leap over a narrower part of the stream and cleared it well enough, with only a little splash on the edge, then paused and looked back at the ruin guard. They were luring it this way on purpose. "That isn't the point. Aether finds geo more difficult than anemo. We have been practicing together. I wish to see--" The ruin guard launched a set of missiles, and Zhongli tensed, no doubt prepared to shield Aether if necessary, but they raised their own wall of rock in time to absorb the impacts. Their construct was in rough shape after the final missile, but it had done its job. Aether waited as the ruin guard followed them to the stream. Then, as soon as it set foot in the water, unleashed a burst of wind, blowing their damaged construct apart and picking up a spray of water. Ruin guards were normally water resistant, but the flying rubble dented it's armor enough to allow droplets into its circuits, lighting a few sparks. "Well done," Zhongli said, softly with pride. It wasn't out of commission just yet, but its punches were clunkier than normal, and Aether dodged them smoothly, getting in a few slashes when they had an opening. When the ruin guard raised its foot for a mighty stomp, and Aether didn't evade, Venti panicked and almost jumped again, but then the foot slammed down into another geo construct. A few pieces of stone flew off, but Aether was able to keep it from collapsing. In it's semi-fuctioning state, the ruin guard took a few seconds to process this sudden obstacle, and before it could regain a balanced position. As it lifted its foot again to adjust course, Aether took advantage of its unbalance, channeling a more forceful gust that toppled the ruin guard into the water with a magnificent splash. The sparks intensified, but these machines were resilient. Clumsily, it attempted to drag itself back up. Aether dashed past a flailing limb and plunged their sword into the 'eye', extinguishing its orange glow, and with a dying whir, the ruin guard stopped moving. "Woohoo!" Venti called. Aether jumped in surprise, but smiled when their eyes met. While Aether breathed and wrung out the wet spots, Venti and Zhongli came to them. "What helpful former archons you two are," Aether joked. "Hey, standing back was Zhongli's idea! He wanted to gaze at you lovingly," Venti teased. "I… well…" Zhongli stammered, while Aether played with their scarf, smiling bashfully. "And I must admit, it was a good show." Venti sauntered up close to Aether. "I come bearing good news." That got Aether to look up at him hopefully. "Your 'obvious' idea worked." He tentatively laid a hand on Aether's cheek. "May I?" "Yes!" they beamed. Venti attacked them with kisses, on the lips, the cheeks, nose, forehead, until the point where they lightly pushed him back. "Too much." "Sorry. I wanted to make up for all the times I wanted to kiss you that night and while we were traveling together." "Venti…" Aether was turning red, which really made Venti want to kiss their cheeks some more, but he resisted. "Thank you for giving me the courage to do this." Aether pulled him into their arms in reply, and Venti couldn't care less that it got him a little wet. They held him there tightly for a moment, then extended an arm to Zhongli, who had patiently let them have their moment. "The two of you together are a precious sight," he said, embracing them both. Being surrounded by their love and warmth--Venti had always been a wanderer, but here, he felt at home. His poetic mind buzzed with inspiration. He'd have to write a song about it later. "I need to go tell the village I took care of that ruin guard, and after that, you two can tell me more about how the Test of Courage went on the way back to the Harbor," Aether proposed. Venti couldn't wait to tell them about how good he'd scared Zhongli.