brokebitchmountain | IC INBOX

[ ...Ah. Well, Venti couldn't honestly say he expected Zhongli to beat around the bush about things. He's always been direct like that, never one to preamble or skirt around an issue. All Venti can do is try his best not to freeze up as the door latches closed, fingers curled around the handle. ]

...I remember enough.

[ it doesn't matter if things are blurry; there's more than enough for him to get a sense of what transpired. It wasn't just Aether he attacked; he owes a few people apologies. ]

[ Zhongli is silent as he keeps walking into the apartment. But he does pause as his own grip on that wine bottle tightens enough to make his gloves creak. ]

It was not our fault for what had happened.

[ Even though he himself finds it hard to come to terms with what happened as well. ] Though I am sure I do not need to tell you this.

What, are you trying to cheer me up?

[ The laugh Venti makes is too tense to be as carefree as he's trying to sound. He squeezes the handle hard, but then whirls around quickly with his hands held behind his back. He walks ahead of Zhongli, plastering a smile across his features that doesn't quite reach his eyes--and for that reason, he tries to keep his back to the other. ]

I know that... It's not as if we could control it. We were... We were affected, you know? No sense dwelling on it.

In a way, perhaps I am also trying to cheer myself up as well.

[ Venti was one of the nicer archons, never one to really defer to violence, so he knows how hard it must be on him. That's why he'll drag the other into a warm embrace, amber eyes looking down at him with some concern. ]

There is no sense in doing so. But we will do so regardless. It is not in our nature to act in such a manner. Dwelling upon it especially when we have hurt...the ones we care for, it is not so simple as just forgetting it.

[ For all that he may be stoic and unmovable at times, Zhongli is unfailingly kind. It's not the impression Venti had of him in their first meeting, but he's come to see it in the tender gestures his fellow Archon makes.

The hugs draws him in and Venti is able to bury his face in the front of Zhongli's shirt, hiding the conflict and guilt that wracks his expression despite his best efforts to smother it. Like this, he can hide the subtle tremble of his hands as he curls them into fists against Zhongli's jacket. His voice is muffled so that when he next speaks, the warble in it is only just audible.

Zhongli truly is considerate. Calling him the War God always seemed like a disservice, and never more than in this very instant.

Venti buries his face against the other Archon and tries not to inhale sharply. He fails. ]

It's almost worse that I don't remember some of it at all.

[ The words come out a whisper, no more than a mere ghost. He clings tighter and keeps his face pressed to the other's front. ]

[ Zhongli knows what it feels like to hurt the ones you care for and dare he say...love? It's a strange and unfamiliar term for him to use but he's getting better at actually categorizing his emotions and thoughts on others. He blinks at the suddenness of Venti burying his face against his chest and Zhongli's frown deepens ever so slightly again.

He'll place the wine bottle on the countertop as he gently pulls Venti away from his front momentarily. ]

I do know that Childe does not fault either of us for what we did.

[ Though Zhongli's jaw tightens ever so slightly upon saying the other man's name. ] But we have fared through a great deal you and I. Something like this will not bring us down to our knees so easily. Having each other to help bear and hold the burden together does also help. So you must not let the strange machinations of this place sully your upbeat and otherwise optimistic behavior.

[ Seeing Venti like this is strange, for sure, he doesn't exactly like it either. That bubbly, loud, and optimistic bard being replaced by a downtrodden, sad, and guilty being is not something he enjoys seeing. He'll gently lean in to place a light kiss atop the other's head, before grabbing that bottle again. While he's not exactly one for drinking Zhongli can see that it's something they both need right now. ]

Where are your glasses, I will pour us a cup while you sit and rest.

Edited 2021-11-29 04:57 (UTC)

...Cupboard on the right, bottom shelf.

[ All the better for him to reach it while sloshed (and on account of his own shortness), but his usual quip about their location doesn't make it any farther than the thought.

The one saving grace is that although a smile is nowhere to be found on his face right now--in fact, he tries to keep it hidden by turning his chin downward--there are, at least, no remnants of any tears within his eyes. Zhongli's jacket has saved him that trouble. He should offer to clean it later, he thinks. ]

[ Zhongli regards the other momentarily before silently nodding and going to get the cups from their place in the cupboard. He'll take them and place them on the kitchen table before sighing and placing the bottle of wine next to them.

Simple things like this are often needed in healing so he will open it and pour a glass for Venti, offering it to him through the silence. ]

[ Venti accepts the gesture in the spirit it was offered, but for once in his life, doesn't immediately drink from it. In a rare change of pace, he doesn't feel like drinking. For him, it's something to enjoy and to celebrate with. He's doing neither right now.

As he stares into his glass, Venti asks quietly: ]

How is your Fatui Harbinger doing? Is he okay...?

Ah. [ Childe, right, it was a bit of a mess between them recently wasn't it? But Zhongli doesn't falter as he sits down next to Venti and takes a sip of his glass. ]

Childe will be fine. It takes quite a bit to keep that rascal down for any duration of time. You need not worry about him. I have...taken care of whatever manna was drained from him from us both.

[ Though there's something being unsaid that's easy to see in Zhongli's eyes; he does sigh and lean back against the couch as he takes another small sip of his wine. ]

[ It's not hard to catch. Venti is used to Zhongli's intricacies (for as much as he makes fun of them), and he gives a hum of understanding before he moves to take a seat next to Zhongli on the couch. ]

He does seem to be a lively one.

[ a pause ]

Have things changed between you two since?

Changed...perhaps something has. I...I am not sure what exactly to think or feel at the moment. I have been keeping my distance for the time being.

[ Though he too now ruminates as he stares into his own wine glass. ]

I'm unsure if that is the right thing to do. But I wish to give Childe his space.

[ It's hard to know when to give space and when to occupy it in general, and for someone like Zhongli... Venti has no doubts that the task is nigh-insurmountable. He lets out a quiet breath and nods. ]

Have you thought of asking him what he wants?

I am...not sure if that is wise at the moment. I am uncertain as to what that might do. [ He doesn't exactly want to force his way into such matters. ]

Humans and their wants have never been so simple and confusing to define before. [ Zhongli has been and always will be very to the point. It's when things get vague that he has a hard time really understanding it all. ]

I am not sure that I can...give him what he truly wants.

Ah, so you know what it is he wants from you?

[ That's...surprising. Venti's got a bit of an idea (hint: it's an Unhealthy Obsession^TM), but that Zhongli does as well is impressive. Usually that sort of thing is the furthest thought from his mind--the last thing that would ever occur to him.

The situation might not exactly be ideal, but he's glad for it all the same. Who knew all it would take to crack that hard head of his would be a battle-maniac with a jealous streak ]

[ Zhongli sighs as he ponders for a moment before he looks back at his fellow archon. ] I do have an inclination of sorts, yes. But I am unused to such when it comes to humans, never mind that our lifespans are much different than those of humans.

[ What Childe seeks from him...he's not exactly sure if such a thing is possible. ] A god and a mortal...such relationships are destined to fail are they not?

It's not exactly ideal, no...

[ Even friends are hard to keep when one lives such a long life. The Nameless Bard, Vanessa, even Andrius.

Venti fixes Zhongli with a sympathetic crook of his lips, setting his glass aside on the nearby side-table so that he can draw one knee up and rest his head atop it. ]

It's easier when it isn't a human. But...

[ it's always a human....except when it's guizhong i guess ]

But there are some things that one cannot help but feel towards them.

[ Zhongli mutters as he places a hand against his chin. ]

I have never had such feelings towards a human before, a bit strange, but it's not exactly...unwelcome. I do not know exactly what to do in terms of them, however.

[ The confession brings the first glimpses of true warmth into Venti's expression since the other's arrival. There's sadness too, yes, but seeing Zhongli like this and the topic they're discussing makes it impossible for him not to think back on his own beloved humans and the Nameless Bard he once knew.

That love has never truly petered out. Venti's physical form is testament to that. ]

That sounds like something you'll need to figure out together. They do say that communication is the foundation of any relationship. Even for friends.

[ Venti threads his fingers together over his ankle. ]

Perhaps you should consider speaking to him on the matter.

[ Zhongli nods, solemnly, as he takes another look at Venti. ]

I am not sure if we are friends or...something more at this point. [ Zhongli just knows that Childe makes him feel something more than a simple friend would? He's really bad at this kind of stuff though. ]

I definitely will. But I have been giving him his space after Morax attacked him.

Mm, that's a sentiment I can understand well...

[ Venti hasn't exactly gone prancing around like he normally does, choosing to keep to himself and let others approach him. Aether he's been particularly worried about. ]

[ Zhongli can't help but let out a small, self-deprecating laugh at that. Just look at the two of them, sitting here and bemoaning their lives, as if they haven't seen and been through it all already. ]

Even for how long we have lived, to have such troubles with humans of all things...I suppose this is what it is like to be mortal and to do as they do.

[ Such problems would never even get a second glance by him when he was the archon, more important matters were always at hand of course, so be left in such a state by something like this? He can only laugh at it, really. ]

[ WOW ZHONGLI are you trying to relate to him about not understanding people like he is as rock-brained as you...

Venti lets out a tiny huff, the sound almost a laugh, as he fixes his fellow Archon with a wry crook of his lips. ]

I don't know how I feel about being put in the same boat as you in that particular category. Compared to you, I'm perfectly adjusted to mortal life.

[ it might be a pit petulant, but some of Venti's impishness is finally starting to peek through his dour mood. ]

Edited 2022-01-05 03:34 (UTC)

That is...not what I had meant. [ A huff as he folds his arms over his chest. ]

We are not similar in those regards, you are correct. Out of the original seven, you have always been far more at ease with humanity than myself. This experience has at least helped me gain a better understanding of them. But...I am still at a loss when it comes to Childe.

[ He sighs as he looks down into his wine glass. There's a dour sort of feel to the air about him especially. ]

How is it that you have come to understand them so well?

Well... It's not as hard as you make it out to be. But that might also be a fundamental difference between us, you and I. I've always listened to the lives of humans on the wind... Everything from the moment they're born. It's hard not to understand just a little if you spend all your time with them.

[ Venti hasn't spent his whole life with them, but certainly the most impactful moments of it have been in their presence ]

Most of us don't start out an all-powerful Prime of the Adepti. I was a little wisp of wind before destiny called my name.

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