#draff

“Sorry, we'd have to order a screen replacement for that size.” Aether deflated when the store owner exited the back stockroom empty handed, and bemoaned the fact he'd be stuck with only short calls for the rest of his stay. Bad news seemed to be his friend lately. The type of friend who’d burst into your home without knocking or calling ahead and expected you to be available. 

“...have an internet connection?” The owner asked, pulling his attention back. “Perhaps you could just order a replacement phone from your provider? Might be faster than replacing the screen, to be honest.” 

Oh. That was a good idea actually.

Hope was renewed! 

Until a pessimistic voice whispered in the back of his head, reminding him of his lack of internet service. Giving a 'thanks anyway' to the owner, Aether left with his heart sinking into the pit of his stomach.  

Where could he find a place with internet service and a computer he could use? The obvious answer would be a public library, but despite the signs of population growth in the town, Aether spied no such building. He stared ruefully at his phone screen, thumb swiping along it in a half-hearted attempt to open its web browser. The response was a glitched scuffle of images before reverting back to the main screen. Sighing, he looked down the short strip of shops with the futile hope for good luck to drop directly into his lap.

It simply was not to be. 

Not including the drive from the farmhouse, Springvale was a small town filled with homes crammed together  between trees and rolling hills. The main road covered the length of the town from beginning to end with no other major highways nearby. He remembered as Draff drove them through town, pointing out the most popular locations. He was quick to name the bars- more than Aether thought a small town needed, then showed him other places: The churches are located at every corner, the small grocery store and two family-run cafes. None of these would give Aether the help he needed.

“... could have sworn this place had a library when I was younger,” he muttered under his breath, wondering if it would even have a pc with internet service he could use. 

Perhaps he should have asked Draff if he would be willing to take him to the next town over. He knew it was larger in comparison, but was an hour drive, at least. 

Aether frowned, considering the time and sighed. No good. It was enough that Draff had picked him up from the airport when he first arrived, offered him a place to stay--even though he turned it down, and had brought him into town today.

Maybe fate was trying to tell him something in the form of an angry demon bird.

Spiraling, Aether fought with his phone again to dial Draff's number and listened to the ringing with half his focus torn between accepting his fate or throwing a tantrum. 

As nice as it was to see the area hadn't changed much since they left, it also filled him with a strange sadness. All the buildings were updated just enough, but the foundations were old and the paint was chipping down on the banisters. What was left of the parking lot was faded and full of potholes. When was the last time any company came through with the intention to fix the place up? Maybe that’s exactly what would happen once his property was officially leveled to make room for that packaging company to come in. Not for the first time, he second-guessed his decision to postpone selling for this visit.

The ringing continued until Draff’s voicemail message answered. Frowning, he hung up and tried again, tapping his feet impatiently. When the message sprung up again, a sense of being stranded filled him with consternation. Two more tries garnered the same results.

A pressure welled inside his throat, urging him to begin examining nearby shop windows and zone out as he listlessly waited for the hunter to finally answer his phone, call, stop back, or something. 

The old dollar store window was littered with old announcements, lost pet posts, and seedy job offers. Some looked as if they hadn’t been replaced in over a decade while others were freshly pressed and taped to the window with bright, bold lettering that screamed for attention. One in particular caught Aether’s eye. A flash of teal and gold made his heart flutter in surprise at a grainy photo copied to a cardboard cutout of a bird. For a second, he thought the demonic bane of his phone’s existence had somehow made it onto an announcement page, only to laugh at himself when the image shown was a creature much larger than his little beastie. In fact, it didn’t look like anything he’d ever seen before. 

Crazed, citrines eyes peered over an elongated beak full of serrated teeth that could tear through flesh. Feathers, dark and tea with bits of gold, looked as long as Aether’s arms and two pairs of wings adorned it, wide-spread and open as it prepared to take flight. It appeared to be a doctored photo, showing the creature to be twice the size of an average man, perhaps larger. Its plumage gleamed in the sunspots of the photo, succeeding in both increasing the majesty of the appearance, and hiding other aspects. The background, for one, could barely be seen, the creature's talons and elegant tail feathers faded from over exposure. What little details remained were the inconsistent lines of a poor edit job. Aether squinted at it. While the image looked to be taken from a professional camera, it was clearly photoshopped. Maybe even AI generated. He couldn’t think of a single bird, outside of mythology, that looked close to what he saw against the glass. ‘Have you seen Ol’ Misty?’ The paper read in rainbow embossed lettering, ‘Springvale: Home of the Clearspring Fairy and our Dark Woods Stalker, The Mistwatcher!’ He didn’t remember Springvale being a Cryptid tourist spot, but the fact there was not one, but four other similar posters covering the glass put Aether into a fit of giggles as he read on: ‘Forest Protector: Poacher’s Beware The Mistwatcher!’, ‘Mistwatcher Tours, Call To Reserve!’  

He remembered the old tales of the Fairy of Clearsprings; it had been Lumine and his favorite fairy tale as children. But this? Who in the world came up with this while they were gone?

With his attempted phone calls becoming a dull, white noise in his ear, he traced the edges of the photo, watching the golden eyes of the creature, mood slightly lifted from the hilarity of it all. He considered going inside to take down one of the posters, if only to keep as a mini-souvenir, but reconsidered in lieu of snapping a photo instead.  Now if he could just get his phone fixed so he could- 

“Ah, Aether! Need me to getcha already? That was quick.” Draff's booming voice jarred him from his train of thought, and he grimaced as the volume made his ears ring.

“Oh, yeah, I guess,” he muttered, lips thinning into a line as he began to tap the ground again. “Actually, you wouldn't happen to know where I could use a computer, would you? I didn't bring mine considering there wouldn't be wifi-”

“Well, you could always use mine but-” Draff backpedaled with a groan, “Scratch that, we've still got dial-up set up and Diona rarely gets off the phone these days. Hmm, I think I know a guy who can help you out.”

“Really?!” Aether couldn't believe his luck. ”Who?“

“Ever heard of Venti and Zhongli?” he asked. 

While he tried to recall the names, the memory was far too faded or didn’t exist. He still had no idea who these people were.  “I don't think I was introduced to them when I was a kid.”

Aether thanked the stars; Draff finally stopped shouting straight into his eardrums, lowering his tone to normal levels. ”Venti opened up a little area in the back of his bar that has a lot of computers hooked up. Think it was for games, but he'd probably let you use it.“

The world never looked so sweet at that moment. “That sounds perfect!” 

“He’s probably sleeping in at Zhongli’s right now, and I gotta see them anyway. How about I just take you with me and see if they'll help?”

“Draff?” Aether said, hope filled him as he looked to the heavens above. He muttered a silent prayer of thanks to all the archons he could remember. “You are a godsend today!”

“Pfft, anything for my best bud’s kids. Now, stay in the lot, I'll be there in ten.”

He hadn't gone far from Draff's original drop off point, which made the pick up and subsequent ride through town much easier. 

Whoever this Zhongli and Venti were, their home veered off the main road, trailing along the nearby lake and further  still. The fields and hills became sandy bluffs that aligned the nearby river while wind blew through the trees and dandelions bordering the road. The sights were vaguely familiar to Aether, who drank them all in while staring out the window.

The view changed to an ultimately different experience. Their driveway was a minor swerve off the road, turning to gravel as it trailed along uphill to disappear in the wood. With as far off as it was, Aether tried his best to use the time to get information out of Draff, curious towards these mysterious men. But try as he might, the hunter gave no further details than he already had.

'Are Venti and Zhongli together?' Not likely.

'But they live together?' For now.

'How long have they been in Springvale?' Longer than you've been alive, kid.

Ah, so they were old codgers. Aether must have said the thought out loud as Draff laughed so hard he almost wheezed himself into a coma, and nearly wrecked in the process. He couldn't figure out what had been so funny to warrant the near death experience, but he had considered making a brief, yet heartfelt, audio recording on his phone for Lumine to listen to in the case of his imminent demise.

Luckily, no other attempts on his life happened, and Aether soon found himself exiting the car after the long trail up the ridiculously long driveway.  

It was then that Aether noticed a few things weren't quite... normal. Plant life was everywhere, green masses of moss and winding ferns dotted the edge of the lawn. Pebbles and stones created pathways circling the large house as flowers and garden decorations enhanced the landscape. 

It felt less like a home and more like the scene from a painting. The side of the house hosted a cutesy, two person swing, surrounded in vines and a trellis covered in more blooming flowers then Aether could count.

But what really felt odd to him was the way it felt as if he was being watched from all directions. As if the very land itself was tracking his every step and the few birds that passed overhead, looked vaguely familiar to the very one that had attacked his phone. Though the color was off.

When the two stepped on the porch, Draff rapping his knuckles against the front door without a second thought, Aether looked down to his feet to see a gift basket to the side. Upon further scrutiny, he realized the basket had a loaf of bread, a jar of local honey, and... 

“Why do they have milk on the porch?” he asked, but wasn't surprised when Draff didn't answer.  He whistled far too loudly to hear anything around him. 

When the door swung open, Aether was just beginning to inspect the nearby wind chimes and intricately designed tea set on the table nearby. As if caught putting his hand in the cookie jar, he jolted a foot in the air and spun to face the door sheepishly, prepared to apologize for his nosiness.

The apology never left his lips, stunned when he met the face of a man who looked far too youthful to have lived as long as Draff claimed. He looked uncannily young: No laugh lines, no wrinkles and smooth skin, with deep eyes that felt as rich as the deepest chasm in Teyvat. This supposed old man was way more handsome than expected. Aether felt his stomach flip as the breath was taken from his lungs in that one look. 

The hunter seemed less than confused by this and firmly shook the man's hand, beaming.

“Zhongli,“ He greeted, smiling so wide you couldn't see his eyes, ”I hoped you'd be home. I've brought along those meats you requested from my last hunt, smoked and dried just as you instructed.“

Standing taller than both, Zhongli had a regal air about him. His shoulders were poised and he looked down upon them with a gentle, discerning eye as he smiled warmly. Aether felt both at ease and nervous, as if in the presence of a man far above his station. When his gold-orange irises focused on him, he waved silently, unable to speak.

“It's good to see you, old friend,” he greeted, grasping Draff's hand firmly, “You’re earlier than expected, but I wasn't busy. Please, do come in. We can have tea while you introduce me to the young man there.”

Draff needed no further invitation, strolling through the door the moment Zhongli stepped back to usher him in. Feeling out of place, Aether moved to join them, holding out his hand in polite greeting, as well.

“Nice to meet you, sir,” he muttered, having a very difficult time tearing his gaze off the man. “I'm Aether, and Draff's been-”

“Surely we can discuss it once you're inside,” Zhongli interrupted, and under normal circumstances, Aether would have found it rude, but his tone carried that of an apology when no words were given. However, his gaze shifted to the floor, catching sight of the gift basket and sighed.

“Forgive me, but would you mind bringing that in for me?” he asked. “I'd hate for it to go stale.”

“Oh, uh-” Aether said lamely as he moved to pick it up mechanically.“Sure, no problem!“

Was he attracted? Is that what this was? No, he'd seen many handsome faces before, this was something different. But he couldn't put his finger on it, even as he walked in with both hands grasping the basket between white-knuckled fingers, feeling dazed.

The next few minutes were a blur as Zhongli nipped the basket from Aether's hands and disappeared down a hall–presumably to the kitchen, and reappeared empty handed. Directing them to a nearby sitting room, he pulled out a chair beside Draff for the puzzled boy to take a seat before sitting down himself. A steaming hot kettle was already there, with a set of tea cups just waiting to be used.

If Aether hadn't been so distracted, he may have asked why it felt as if Zhongli had been expecting them, but he bit into a cookie offered from a separate plate and listened as the two men talked freely between each other.

“Would you need to start a new order already?”

“No, no, that won't be necessary. I do apologize, Draff,  could you keep your voice lowered? I'm afraid Venti is still asleep.”

“I figured that would be the case. The man's so tiny, it surprises me how he can hold his liquor. I should stop by his bar sometime soon-”

“Indeed.” The sudden, pointed monotone finally drew Aether from his funk, noting the way Zhongli's lips curled into a deep set frown. “I'm sure he'd love to see you. Now then-” His gaze finally met Aether's, burning with quiet intent, “You said your name was Aether, yes?”

It took longer than it should have to drag his mind out of the mush that was his brain trying to process the way Zhongli’s gaze fixed him in place. His question hung in the air, unanswered until a flustered heat spurred Aether to answer, choking on his drink in the process. Coughing, he covered his mouth to avoid sputtering remnants of cookie and tea across the table and avoided the man’s gaze. “Y-yeah, that- that’s me, sorry!” 

He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but the soft, amused chuckle of the other wasn’t it. Nor was he ready for the harsh smacks to his back given by Draff, who attempted to keep him from choking. Jostled about, the world began to spin and he clenched his eyes shut until the world reoriented. “Sorry, I was spacing out a little there.” “Best be careful before you knock yourself out, kiddo,” Draff laughed, reseating himself as soon as Aether seemed in control of himself again. As if the embarrassing spectacle hadn’t occurred, Zhongli sipped his tea and hummed. “It’s nothing to apologize for. I’m sure you weren’t here to discuss work, after all, though I assume there was a reason for you to come, yes?”

For one, horrifying eternity, Aether forgot the reason for him being there. Something about the place left his mind in a fog and everything was too off kilter to keep track. Sensing his inability to speak, Draff chose to speak for him, tapping the table as he did and motioning for Aether to withdraw his phone. “Yeah, see, he’s visiting for a short time. Cleaning up that old house on the edge of the deep woods; you know the one.”  With the damaged electronic out on the table, he tapped the shattered screen. “He came across a very angry hummingbird that-”

“He wasn’t a hummingbird,” Aether found himself saying, but Draff continued. “THAT, didn’t take kindly to having it’s picture taken. Unfortunately, none of the stores in town have what’s needed to fix it so we were hoping Venti would be alright with him taking an early trip to the bar to make use of the pc area before it’s filled up for game night.”

There was a noticeable shift in the air, one that Zhongli and Draff both looked to the ceiling for as Aether shuddered from a draft trailing along his back. The shiver was involuntary and goose bumps raised along his skin one after the other. 

Trying to appear unaffected, he watched Draff drop his gaze and guzzled his tea as if it were a completely different drink. Zhongli seemed to study the ceiling for a moment longer, then shifted his gaze back to the table. “Very unfortunate,” he said, examining the phone himself with a curious gaze. “Most birds in Springvale are docile creatures, but it seems you touched a nerve with this one.”  

With hands folded together, his gaze left the phone and moved along to the wall as if following an invisible trail. After a beat, he stood and nodded towards his guests, “Forgive me, but I fear Venti’s been awoken. Give me just one moment and I’ll return with what you need.”

Before Aether could ask, Zhongli had already disappeared around the corner with only a glimpse of his tailcoat fluttering behind him. There were too many puzzling things happening all at once and the blond was having trouble keeping up. He pulled his phone back to his side of the table, brows knitted together in thought. “How did-” He paused, thinking over the question as he noticed Zhongli had swapped the screen to a clear view of his phone background. The spiderwebbed cracks splintered across, but the image of him and his sister, still children and posing before a large tree in their yard, stared back at him. “How does he know Venti is awake?”

Wiping his mustache, Draff shrugged and started in on the cookies. “They’ve always been like that. Best to pay it no mind.”

He couldn’t resist a follow up, “And you’re sure they’re not together?”

“That’s what they say.” 

Aether was starting to believe he was missing something. A very big something, at that. 

The wait for Zhongli’s return was long enough to make the crunching of Draff’s cookies awkward, but too short for Aether to pinpoint just what was making him feel as if the world was off its axis. In the interim, the sensation of a breeze continued to drift about, sometimes so subtle it tickled the back of his neck; other times so intense he wondered if the AC had kicked on, but could find no vent.  At these times, he thought he heard voices further in the house, but dared not venture forth to make sense of what was being spoken. It was maddening how strong the urge to explore and unearth every secret he could feel at the edge of his senses. While he couldn’t put a finger to it, he felt something familiar in the odd things he noticed. As if he were being welcomed by a feeling he’d missed from long ago. When Zhongli returned, it was as if a spell broke and the mental fog faded. The urge to move dispersed and Aether exhaled the breath he hadn’t known he was holding. Draff happily welcomed  him with a smile, oblivious to Aether’s confused reveries. When Draff inquired about Venti’s health, the other man merely smiled and assured that the tired bar-owner was happily making himself a pot of coffee, but would sadly be unable to greet them. “Well, that’s too bad,” Draff began, arms crossed as his nose twitched. “I wondered if he might agree to let me have a sneak of some of the liquor while we were there.”

And then, Aether noticed it, that same, stony expression Zhongli carried earlier as his chest rumbled, displeased by the topic. “I’m sure you can bring it up to him next time you visit. He’s been especially tired this week.” “Ah yeah, getting to be that time for him, huh?” “Indeed.” 

Aether was starting to feel as if he was looking through a window and unable to piece the bits of conversation he was hearing together. Uncertain what to do or say, he listened intently, a placid smile on his face to hide the tremulous thoughts in his mind as he frantically tried to keep up. Luckily, he didn’t have to wait long for the conversation to divert once again as Zhongli broke contact with Draff to hold out a set of keys to Aether. His eyes crossed to focus on them. “...uhh?” “The spare keys to the bar,” Zhongli explained, jostling them slightly until Aether accepted them. “All Venti asks is that you lock up and leave them in the mailbox when you’re done. It’s hours yet before he opens, and he’s not awake enough to go there himself. As a friend of Draff, we’re choosing to trust you.” Aether tried to ignore the strange prickling that ran along his arm as he held the keys, feeling as if he was stumbling over some strange etiquette he was unaware of. “Oh, well, sure, I can do that. Thank you.” “Of course.” Zhongli’s smile was warm as he motioned towards the door. “Then I’ll not keep you any longer. I hope you find what you’re looking for.”

For a delirious moment, Aether got the feeling he wasn’t referring to a replacement phone, but he nodded listlessly as Draff jumped from his seat and began to nudge him back through the hall and towards the doors. Everything was a whirl after that, as if the older man couldn’t waste a second to get them out of there. Zhongli’s eyes watched their walk all the way back to Draff’s truck and stayed on them even longer down the driveway, but Aether thought he saw a second pair of eyes on the upper floor, peeking through the windows. It wasn’t until they’d made it back to the main road that Aether felt the world rebalance itself again and Draff, blinking as if for the first time in hours, wetted his lips and grunted, “Place gives me the creeps.” “Did you say something?” Aether asked, having been too distracted to catch his quiet mumbling. Draff gripped his steering wheel and laughed heartily. “Huh? Nah, nevermind, I don’t know what I’m talking about. It’s probably nothing.”

He’d be thinking it was definitely more than nothing for the rest of the day. In fact, Aether just knew he’d be remembering this entire scenario for the rest of the week,if not longer. Perhaps he really was missing something. Or he’d merely forgotten. Maybe Lumine would know. He made a mental note to ask her during their next call.

Despite the earlier disappointments of the day, the trip to Venti’s bar was smooth sailing in comparison. He was informed along the way that it was actually owned by a completely different man who was out on business so often that he allowed the event organizer, Venti, to keep watch during his absences. Aether couldn’t help but get the hint that many found this decision a poor one, as Draff’s description of the mysterious man made him sound as much of a drunk as the patrons were. When Draff assured him that Venti was far better at his job than he appeared, Aether noted the way his eyes glazed over as he spoke before regaining their earlier gleam. And while that was enough for Aether to add to his mental checklist of, ‘things not quite right in Springvale,’ the suspicion flew out the window the moment he entered the bar. It was spacious, clean, with the most comfortable stools and chairs he’d ever seen. Even the arcade games looked well-maintained. Not a thing was out of place and a small stage in the corner was decked out in an array of lights Aether imagined to be perfect mood lighting when turned on. Unfortunately, he was there on a mission, and exploring the bar was not on his to-do list. With Draff bemoaning his fate to not sneak a drink, Aether made it to the side rooms littered in gaming computers and was finally able to enjoy the glorious modern technology of wifi. With a skip to his step and a printed document of a new phone soon to be delivered, he left the building and dropped the keys with a loud thud in the mailbox,. The perfect fix to everything–minus the three days wait period, but that wasn’t enough to put a damper on his mood. Not now when he knew he’d defeated the demonic bird with the help of –well, the help of many people actually, but he appreciated the small town being full of people more than willing to help a stranger. The ride back was a comfortable one with Draff humming off-key to the radio and Aether playing with the broken phone in his hands, already considering how he could transfer all his important contacts and photos over to the new one. The screen was still on the open background Zhongli had left it on, and while the cracks still discolored many places on the screen, Aether was pleased to find he could still access a small amount of his apps. One text full of misspellings was sent to Lumine, and after, he attempted the dreaded photo gallery. The night before, all attempts to access it felt cursed to a void as the app opened and closed multiple times or failed to respond, being right behind one of the many beak indentations that shattered the screen.

Perhaps luck was on his side, or he’d brushed it in his pocket just right, as he noticed the gallery app  was no longer behind the damage, but moved just enough to the left that he could press against it with no limitations. He blinked in surprise when the gallery opened revealing the list of images he’d taken since his arrival. “Hah, take that, you little demon,” he muttered beneath his breath, already searching for the very image he’d taken that had offended the bird in the first place. “I got you after all- huh?”

Except, when he opened the image, it was not a bird he saw sitting atop the stone altar, tossing small twigs aside. He blinked and screwed his eyes shut, thinking perhaps he was seeing things. A couple more blinks and he looked again, stunned by what he was witnessing. “Draff?” he asked when the man slowed down for a particularly sharp curve. “Hey, do you- do you see this?” 

Holding the phone up for him to peek at, he had to steel himself to keep his hands from shaking. “Save a horse ride a-” Draff continued to sing, pausing as he noticed the screen. His cheeks burned red, a cough fell from his lips. “Ah, maybe I shouldn’t be singing that in front of a- oh hey, you caught the bird after all! Cute lil’ fella, ain’t he?”

Moving on auto-pilot, Aether lowered his hand, entire body quivering as a lump formed in his throat. “Uh yeah… that’s…one way to call it.”  

He swallowed thickly and stared at the offending image as a strange sense of terror and familiarity settled in his bones, draining his heat away. The chill was not from a drop in temperature, but he methodically shut the air vents on his side, anyway. What he looked at was the farthest thing from a bird he could have ever seen and Draff’s response only solidified in his mind that he’d stumbled into something directly out of a story book. A man crouched on the altar, the image was blurred in places, with the colors off and pixelated in others, but Aether saw it clear as day. Moving aside bits of debris, his hair matched the beautiful black and teal colors of the bird, with sharp golden eyes that peered angrily at him through the screen. Much of the image was obscure, grainy in places, but the details were all there and a sensation that he knew this man flooded Aether like a wave. And those golden eyes reminded him of something, but he couldn’t remember.

He turned the phone off and stuffed it back into his pocket, breath ragged. It hit him in that moment with a wild clarity that this was an image he was definitely not supposed to see.