#windheard

@windheard - "i wish we could stay here forever." / for dahlia.

Windrise's Tree had always been of symbolic nature to Mondstadt, but equally a place to seek respite from the everyday hustle and bustle. However sought after peace & quiet?, for those excruciating past centuries?, alone?.

For even as playful of character as Dahlia is, this waiting game had been nothing but torture. The last 500 years, from an incident the vampire shan't name of, it left the deacon with an indescribable feeling than simply the pain of having to wait on the Anemo Archon's awakening.

Lavender hues cast their gaze downward, at the bard resting one's head onto laps & Dahlia reach to scoot aside dark strands if for eyes to meet, then gently cup the other's cheek.

He never got to say 'sleep well' back then.

But he was here now, his god.

Maybe, it won't matter & yet, there is no longer a reason to withhold what should have been said on the very first day Venti woke up...

''Welcome home'', oh how he had long ached to utter such words, with reverence, with indisputable warmth.

To me.

❝   I   see   the   winds   have   carried   you   far   from   Mondstadt   once   again,   Barbatos.Your   songs   grow   more   embellished   with   every   retelling.   At   this   rate,   I   suspect   even   the   Archon   War   will   soon   feature   you   as   its   sole   victor.   ❞   He   rose   slowly   from   his   seat,   folding   his   arms   with   the   composed   ease   of   someone   long   accustomed   to   command.   Though   his   posture   remained   dignified,   there   was   a   faint   curve   of   amusement   at   the   corner   of   his   lips   -   the   sort   of   restrained   humour   one   might   only   notice   after   watching   him   closely   for   some   time. 

The   former   Archon   regarded   the   bard   with   a   steady   gaze,   amber   eyes   glinting   with   quiet   knowing.   After   all,   he   had   witnessed   countless   performances   of   Venti’s   particular   brand   of   storytelling   across   the   centuries.   ❝   Should   you   intend   to   compose   another   ballad   concerning   Rex   Lapis,   I   would   suggest   consulting   one   who   witnessed   those   events   firsthand.   ❞

                  𝚃𝙷𝙴𝚁𝙴  𝙼𝙸𝙶𝙷𝚃  𝙽𝙾𝚃  𝙷𝙰𝚅𝙴  𝙱𝙴𝙴𝙽  𝙰  𝚂𝙸𝙶𝙷𝚃       in  all  of  Teyvat  more  striking  than  this  —  Venti  bathed  in  the  soft  spill  of  morning  light,  gold  catching  in  his  hair,  settling  against  his  skin  like  something  made  just  for  him.  It  drew  Varka’s  attention  without  effort,  held  it  there  longer  than  he  cared  to  admit.  Beautiful,  he  thought,  with  a  quiet  huff  of  amusement  under  his  breath.  Needy,  too.  Though  he  hardly  had  the  right  to  say  it  —  not  when  he  felt  the  same  pull,  low  and  insistent.

         His  lips  traced  slowly  along  Venti’s  neck,  unhurried,  deliberate,  dipping  to  his  collarbone  as  a  low  hum  settled  in  his  chest  at  the  sound  he  drew  from  him.  He  didn’t  rush  it.  Didn’t  need  to.  There  was  a  certain  satisfaction  in  taking  his  time,  in  letting  the  tension  build  rather  than  breaking  it  all  at  once.

         With  an  easy  shift  of  strength,  he  turned  them,  guiding  Venti  onto  his  back  beneath  him,  the  movement  smooth,  controlled.  The  morning  air  brushed  against  them  where  fabric  had  shifted,  but  Varka  barely  noticed  —  not  when  his  focus  remained  entirely  on  the  man  beneath  him.  His  own  clothes  were  becoming  a  problem,  that  much  was  certain,  but  for  now…  he  had  no  intention  of  rushing  past  this.

Ever since a great half of the Expedition got to return in the comforts of Mondstadt, namely Cardinal Seamus himself, work has gotten to be slower for Dahlia. Its really a load off his shoulders these days, after getting swamped with personal workload and responsibilities in the Church for 5 years, no matter how differently Time pass by for the deacon.

Now was the time to be grateful for these slow days.

He gets to be out & about more often, despite not minding office work and-

His thoughts crumble when so much as being tugged over but it doesn't come off as too surprising nor did Dahlia forgot the presence of divinity, what followed on the other hand certainly suceeded in bringing back the centuries old being away from the clouds, so to speak.

As is decreed hm?.

By all means, he has no complaints whatsoever; for his god willed it so.

There is a contemplative hum, & he'd go as far as reaching out for where Venti's hands rested, moving them lower, away from his cheeks. This isn't the refute being cradled at the face or anything, not with how idly, reverently fingers interlocks with the other's.

Then, Dahlia's expression shifts to that of amusement.

Playing?

''Oh?'', feigned surprise, ever the dramatic.

''And what games are we playing this time around?'', or perhaps the real question was; where are we going.

@windheard - 💋 / pretend i sent this from venti 😭. @ dahlia.

Alright, okay, maybe he should have watched how many drinks is too much till all sense of clarity comes collapsing but its difficult for Dahlia to feel anything in terms of drunkness, if he doesn't push past a certain limit.

And alright, so what if that same limit to speak of, kind of reached another kind of craving.

Inviting someone home for drinks is one thing, sure but Dahlia, in his not so lucid state of mind, searched at something a little more delectable, purely meant for a night creature like the deacon. Before long that lips are met, there is not the slightest hint of reluctance and he's already gone for the bite.

Pulling at Venti's bottom lip somewhere along the way, drunk of out his mind or not, he'd always will deem that metallic sensation of shared as nothing short of the sweetest of wines.

After what felt like a breathless moment between the two, Dahlia eventually does pull away, unapologetic at the sight of crimson smearing either of them.

He looked so pretty like that.

A little dazed from the taste just now, far from the alcohol alone, Dahlia's lips shudders, pleasantly so and oh how is he itching for more, to decorate divinity as though rain has become blood.

Hmm, should he say something?, probably but as things are now, words clearly failed to spilt forth.

Vacation! 𝔖𝔢𝔯𝔞𝔭𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔞 tasted the word on her tongue and really savoured it. She loved her work, she loved being a general - except any paperwork that came with it - but now that the Abyss was pushed back and the war over, she could catch up on aaaaaall the free time she'd sacrificed to her duties and training in the past. Hopefully her stupid brother wouldn't forget to water her garden properly. ..... Maybe she should've asked Ororon instead. Oh well, she wasn't here to be worried, she was here to have fun. The most fun ever!

Humming, she walked up the various ramps leading to the Me & Dew on Tete Island; in her humble opinion the best island in the Easybreeze Holiday Resort. Full of dancing, music and booze. Just what she was in for! It wasn't the first time she was here since her fellow Natlanese started building it, but the first time after completion. Somehow, the wind seemed much cooler this time around; the perfect breeze to ease her sunkissed skin that was heating up so easily under the scorching sun.

At the top of the last few stairs to the bar, she closed her eyes and felt the wind pull at her hair for a moment, a few strands getting tangled in her golden headpiece. Good thing she liked bringing a small brush around with her so she could detangle them later. It was always easier to do it inbetween instead of just once a day. She learned that while growing up on the cliffs of the Flower-Feather Clan; it was always windy there and it was important to her that her crimson locks were always soft and shiny.

A few steps further, she dove into the shade. She liked this place during the day, it had an amazing view of the ocean and really good drinks. For the nights, she would go dancing around the Dance-Off Stage in her bikini, in and out of the surrounding water. She was already excited for it. Looking around, she saw a few familiar faces and greeted them with a wave, before her eyes settled on a green silhouette sitting at the circular bar in the middle of the platform. Wait a second - wasn't that?

With springy steps, she approached the person and leaned onto the wooden bar next to him, her face proped up on her palm. "Hey there." A wide smile formed on her lips and her blue eyes shone with curiosity. "Aren't you Mavuika's friend from Mondstadt? The bard? And you name was uhhh...." Sera looked him over, trying to remember. Mavuika had mentioned it to her, but she couldn't recall it. "...Ehm, what was it again?"

❝  does   this   mean   that   you   will   crumble   into   dust   and   fade   away   with   the   passage   of   time   ?     ❞