a voice on the wind

feathers could prove fickle at the best of times, xiao knows. as an adeptus, it wasn’t beyond his scope of understanding as to how to fix ruffled wings, and if he has any degree of suspicion that venti’s wings might be molting their primaries, he’s clever enough not to share it.

❝ try & stay still. ❞ he says, reaches out to gently brush fingers against the ridges of venti’s wings, & 𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬. it’s sacrilege, the way hands marred by death touch what is holy. ❝ you have some new flight feathers growing in. i’ll work out the pin casings for you. ❞

"Ah, if you don't mind. I know those can be messy." The keratin sheaths are always so crumbly, on top of the powder down that tends to accumulate. Venti strains his neck to try to look behind him to see if any others are growing, but it's no use.

Homeward, He Who Caught the Wind icons

Amber ❤️

Lisa 💜

Kaeya 🩵

“Fly away, then!”

“Are you molting?”

“Are you an angel?”

“Why WALK anywhere?”

“If I was you, I’d never land.”

“What does it feel like… flying?”

“Can you actually fly with those?”

“You look like an angel with those.”

“What is the highest you’ve flown?”

“What’s the view like from up there?”

“Could you take me flying sometime?”

“Night flying just sounds… dangerous.”

“Just how rough was that last landing?”

“Stop pouting and glide back down here.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you were molting?”

“They’re like a big, feathery blanket! So warm.”

“You can’t fly tonight, there’s a storm out there.”

“I can see you’re sad. Your wings are drooping.”

“You have wings… Oh my god, you have wings!”

“I’m cold and your wings are warm. Come here.”

“Your wings got hurt? How bad? Can you still fly?”

“I can see you’re scared. Your wings keep shaking.”

“I get it. You can fly. You can stop showing off, now.”

“When was the last time you brushed your primaries?”

“How do you even get this much glitter on your feathers?”

“No, sharing a bed with you means a mouthful of feathers.”

“Stop shaking your feathers! You’re getting water everywhere!”

“Could you stop flapping? You’re sending all my papers flying…”

“Okay, that’s it! Land and say that to my FACE, you feathery jerk!”

“Hop in the bath… and don’t clog up the drain with feathers this time!”

“Your feathers are looking a little disheveled. Should I straighten them?”

“That was my favorite shirt. You cut wing holes in the back of my favorite shirt?”

“Running off into the sky isn’t going to make your problems go away, you know.”

“Your wings are still soaked. Come here, you’ll get sick if you don’t dry them off.”