Sharing a bed with someone was a new experience for Venti. When Venti slept in his domain for longer periods of time he was alone. And when he was awake and active to guard Mondstadt he had either slept in Windrise, the wide boughs and branches of Vennessa’s tree his bed, or passed out drunk somewhere in the city. Always alone though.

But now he spent most nights in a soft bed, wrapped up in a pair of strong arms and decidedly not drunk. Well at least not black out drunk. A bit buzzed maybe. Whenever he had dared to imagine what sharing a bed with Diluc might be like, he’d certainly not thought that the man would turn out to be a cuddler. But every time they laid down together it would take only moments for Diluc to wrap himself around the slight bard, falling asleep within minutes and holding on tight throughout the night.

And personally Venti loved it. Diluc was always warm and after so many nights sleeping outside or on a tree, having his personal heater was more than welcome. That he was absolutely in love with the man and relished every second he could be so near to him was just a bonus. Even beside the unexpected habit of treating Venti like his personal teddy bear every night, Diluc had turned out to be quite a romantic, much to Venti’s surprise and delight.

Not that the man was going to be singing ballads for him in the Angel’s Share anytime soon but being kissed awake every morning and the official blessing to take any apple he liked from the Winery was a great start.

For his part Venti had composed a ballad for Diluc, several actually. And after Kaeya had spilled their secret to the Angel’s Share he had actually gotten to sing some of them in public! Only the more metaphorical ones though, Venti knew very well that Diluc would not hesitate to throw him out of his tavern and quite probably his bed if he sang any of his more “personal” ballads at the tavern. So he was content singing about phoenixes and nightingales in public and sang his other songs only for Diluc.

At this moment in time Venti was happily snuggled in Diluc’s bed and waiting for sleep to claim him too. Diluc had already fallen asleep a while ago and was wrapped around Venti like an overly friendly octopus, as usual. He was just about to drift off when Diluc speaking up brought him back to wakefulness. “Can we use blue or green for it?”

Venti blinked confused and tried to shift around to look at Diluc. A near impossible task due to Diluc clinging to him tightly. “Use blue or green for what love?” Diluc just wrapped his arms even tighter around him and buried his face into Venti’s neck. “For it. Or red? Everything but yellow.” After a bit of wriggling Venti finally managed to turn around and look into Diluc’s face.

His lover looked to be deeply asleep, eyes closed and face relaxed. For a moment Venti wondered if he had imagined or dreamt Diluc’s question. But then his partner’s mouth opened again and he spoke, sounding a bit more impatient than before. “So can we?” Venti tried his best not to giggle too loud and maybe wake up Diluc. Was his lover talking in his sleep? Had he done this before and Venti had just never been awake to hear him?

Diluc frowned in his sleep, apparently getting impatient and wanting an answer to his question. Venti decided to try and ask something back. “Why not yellow?” His lover snuffled and answered in a tone that suggested he was imparting some great wisdom. “Yellow is a weak color. Looks like piss.”

Venti had to hastily bite the back of his hand to keep his laughter quiet. He had no idea Diluc had such strong opinions on colors! Barely keeping from giggling he petted Diluc on the head. “Then we can use red for it.” Whatever it was, Venti thought. Diluc gave a sleepy smile and with a barely audible “Thank you.” fell back into his pillow. Venti waited a bit to see if Diluc had any more to say but the redhead had returned to a deep sleep. Snuggling back up to Diluc, Venti prepared to follow his lover into sleep. He would have to try and find out if Diluc remembered their chat in the morning.

As it turned out Diluc did not remember anything. But Venti’s convoluted way of trying to ask him about his sleeptalking had certainly been of no help. While they were getting dressed Venti had ended up asking Diluc what his favourite color was, trying to work his way up to his actual question without making his lover feel embarrassed. And then Diluc had just given him one of those sweet private smiles of his while looking deeply into Venti’s eyes and stroking a hand over his cheek. “I generally prefer red but lately I have started to appreciate aquamarine very much too.”

After that declaration Venti just had to kiss him and that kiss led to something more which made them both very late for breakfast. Venti sheepishly reached for the coffee and tried to ignore Elzer smirking at him.

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For the next couple of weeks Venti got used to Diluc’s sleeptalking. It did not happen every night and seemed to follow no distinct patterns but every so often Venti would get a look into whatever Diluc’s sleeping mind could conjure up. Sometimes his lover would ask questions and respond to Venti’s answers and sometimes he would just ramble a bit about whatever he saw in his dreams.

Topics ranged far and wide going from a rant about the various birds in the winery to complaining about Varka taking all the horses and that Kaeya missed the horses to total nonsense. (According to Diluc, sparrows were opportunistic little thieves, finches were truly dangerous in great numbers and bluejays were just ‘flying bastards’.)

The bard much preferred waking up with Diluc mumbling something about the possibility of cooking a Cryo Slime because he did not want to eat a raw one, to being woken up by his lover having a nightmare. Which had happened with some frequency when they had first started sharing a bed.

Venti knew Diluc still dreamed about his father’s death, the fight with Kaeya and his time spent hunting Fatui in Snezhnaya. So when he heard Diluc softly mumbling in his sleep one spring night Venti was looking forward to another small rant and hoping that he might be mentioned tonight. Diluc had talked about Kaeya, Adelinde and others but had not mentioned Venti once but the bard remained hopeful.

That hope faded fast as soon as he could actually understand what Diluc was saying. “I’m sorry it was all my fault!” Oh dear that sounded like another nightmare. Venti should have expected something like this, with each day they were getting closer to Diluc’s birthday and the anniversary of Crepus' death. Sitting up he softly started talking to Diluc and stroking his hair, hoping to lull him back into a more restful sleep.

“Nothing was your fault, love. You couldn't have done anything differently.” If anyone should feel guilty about what had happened to Crepus it should be Venti, not Diluc. He was the Archon and protector of Mondstadt, he should have been aware of what was going on and done something. That Diluc did not hold his inaction against him was something the Archon cherished deeply.

Diluc winced and continued speaking, sounding miserable. “But it was my task to keep him safe and I didn’t. I let go and left him behind.” Venti sighed quietly and kept on stroking Diluc’s hair. “You did everything you could, dear.” Oh how he wished he could offer more than these platitudes but what else could he say? He could only hope that in time he might get through to Diluc and convince him that Crepus' death had not been his fault.

His lover frowned, looking like he was considering Venti’s words before continuing in an even more heartbroken sounding voice. “But I left him to the Hilichurls.” “What?” Venti was confused, there had been no Hilichurls when Crepus and Diluc had been attacked by Ursa the Drake. Was Diluc’s sleeping mind changing the memory? Diluc nodded but was already starting to slip back into true sleep again, his voice slurring a bit. “The Hilichurls came and I let go. It’s my fault Ser Magnus was left behind.” “What?” Venti repeated, staring at the once again deeply sleeping Diluc. Who by Celestia was Ser Magnus?

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As usual Diluc did not remember anything in the morning. Venti resisted the urge to ask him about Ser Magnus, Diluc had sounded so heartbroken and he did not want to dampen his lover's mood any further. The redhead was getting quieter and more somber the closer his birthday came anyway and Venti did not want to add to it.

So Venti was going to investigate this mystery by himself. After all, how hard could it be? He would bet that Ser Magnus had been a knight serving with Diluc. Maybe someone under his command that was lost during a Hilichurl ambush? Or maybe a mentor? Whoever the man was that had Diluc sounding so heartbroken at his memory, surely Kaeya would know.

Venti, Rosaria and Kaeya had met up in the Angel’s Share on one of Diluc’s off days, a few days after Venti had heard about the mysterious Ser Magnus. After finishing another song for the patrons the bard had joined his friends at their table for a short break and a quick drink. Fearing that the topic of ‘Ser Magnus’ might also be distressing for Kaeya he tried subtly asking for some stories about Diluc’s and Kaeya’s time with the Knights of Favonius.

“Kaeya my friend! I just realized the other day that I have not heard any stories of your and Diluc’s time in the Knights of Favonius. And Diluc refuses to talk to me about his time as cavalry captain! So I ask you, my good friend and drinking buddy: what was Diluc like as a knight? Any stories of great triumph or sad tales of losses?”

Kaeya took a sip of his cocktail and thought for a few moments before answering. “Well Diluc was an admirable knight, I can’t say anything else. If anything he was a bit too much about the rules, Grandmaster Varka always tried to get him to be a bit more loose and less rigid. To do things his own way.”

Rosaria hid a snort behind a sip of her wine. “Well one could say the Grandmaster succeeded in that.” After a second both Venti and Kaeya nodded. Diluc seemed to take great joy in flaunting the knight’s rules and doing things his way when acting as the Darknight Hero these days. Taking a swig of his wine Venti smiled softly, trying to imagine a young Diluc as a prim and proper knight, following all procedures to a t while Varka tried to get him to loosen up.

“Well yes Rosaria, Varka did succeed in a fashion. But Venti about your question.” Kaeya took another sip of his cocktail. “There were of course some battles that were triumphantly fought and won by cavalry captain Diluc and his loyal knights, myself and Jean included. Mostly against some uppity Hilichurls or Treasure Hoarders. And what I now know were probably some of the first Fatui agents that tried infiltrating Mondstadt.”

That was what Venti had expected, given how fond the other knights and people still talked about Diluc’s tenure as cavalry captain. “So many triumphs and glorious battles, just as I have expected from my beloved Diluc.” Kaeya tried not to wince, which made Venti and Rosaria grin slightly. The current cavalry captain was happy for Venti and Diluc, but he was still Diluc's little brother, and everything Kaeya described as “excessively romantic kitsch” between the two made him rather uncomfortable.

But to the knights’ credit, it had only taken Kaeya one instance to learn that, while he was of course always welcome at the Winery and the Angel’s Share at any time, he best knock before entering his brother’s quarters.

Venti tried to get the conversation back to his actual question. “So no tragic tales of woe and loss…while Diluc was your captain?” Kaeya took another sip of his cocktail while thinking. “One. Quite tragic and unfortunately unavoidable. A damn Hilichurl ambush, very sudden and aided by one of those blasted hydro mages of theirs. It was a hard won fight but we did lose one of our own.” Venti leaned forward silently urging Kaeya to go on. So that was how the mysterious Ser Magnus had met his end?

Rosaria was also listening attentively. “It was a great loss to all of us but Diluc took it hard. Not that he could have done anything to prevent it, the combination of too many Hilichurls, that mage and the cliffs was just too dangerous and fatal.” Kaeya lowered his head. “I lost a good friend that day.”

A dreadful picture was forming before Venti’s eyes. Diluc had said he had ‘let go’ of Ser Magnus. Had the good Sir met his end by falling from a cliff? Diluc trying desperately to hold on to the knight's hand but losing his grip and the rest of the knights having to watch a friend fall to his death in the waves below?

Rosaria leaned forward and softly touched Kaeya’s hand. The cavalry captain looked quietly upset, obviously still shaken about what had happened. After a few moments of silence Kaeya looked up again and lifted his glass in a salute, quickly joined by Venti and Rosaria. “To Peppermint, she was a very fine horse.”

Venti had already taken a sip that now nearly went down the wrong pipe making him choke. “A horse?!” Kaeya nodded gravely while Rosaria looked nearly as incredulous as Venti. “Yes of course. Peppermint was a proud member of the cavalry, and her loss most keenly felt.” Rosaria nudged Kaeya’s shoulder in a ‘friendly’ manner. “Kaeya you rube, we thought you were referring to a knight not a horse.” “It’s the cavalry Rosaria! The horses count just as much as the riders!” Venti listened to his friends start bickering and took another sip of his wine. Well that had been a bust.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The bard’s next stop a few days later was Jean. While it was unlikely that she would know who Ser Magnus was if Kaeya did not know the knight, she still might know something. Maybe Ser Magnus was part of some clandestine intelligence operation the Knights of Favonius had done? The longer he got no information on who the mysterious knight Diluc mourned was, the more Venti’s imagination started running wild.

Thankfully Jean was at the Knights headquarters and willing to spare him a few minutes. Standing before the acting Grandmaster in her office Venti tried to find a way to ask about possible black ops missions a young Diluc might have been involved in. After a bit of small talk Venti finally tried to ask his actual question when a loud boom from the upper level interrupted him.

While Venti immediately summoned his bow, ready for a fight to break out any second, Jean just sighed deeply and got up. “Please excuse me for a bit Venti, I must deal with the situation at hand. Feel free to wait but this might take a while.”

The acting Grandmaster walked calmly past the tense bard and opened her office door. Before she closed it behind her Venti heard her call out. “Klee! No bomb testing in your room! You know the rules!” A faint “Sorry Master Jean!” drifted through the room before the dark wooden door closed. Venti let his bow vanish and grinned. Ah Klee, always good for a bit of mischief.

But Klee’s unexpected diversion might be an opportunity for the bard. Jean was gone and would, given the sound of the explosion, be gone for a fair while. Which left Venti unsupervised and unobserved in her office with all of the Knights records at his perusal. If Ser Magnus had been part of the Knights of Favonius there must exist at least some paperwork about him. Venti took a moment to ensure that the door was really closed and quickly turned to the many papers stored in the various filing cabinets.

Keeping the door in his sight Venti speedily went through the files, looking for enlistment records or anything else that might field some information about Ser Magnus. After a few minutes of reading through various records he finally found the name Magnus on one of the files. Venti grabbed the folder and opened it eagerly. There had indeed been a Sir Magnus that had been part of the Knights of Favounius! “Magnus Peter Reichwald! Joined the Knights of Favonius at age 16 in…oh.”

Venti lowered the paper disappointed. A Ser Magnus had indeed joined the Knights of Favonius, some 190 years before Diluc’s birth. That could not be the man Diluc had spoken of.

After spending a bit more time searching Venti quickly put everything back in place. There had been no one named Magnus or with any similar sounding name that had been a part of the knights in the last 20 years.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After saying goodbye to Jean who was still lecturing a soot covered but brightly grinning Klee, Venti slowly made his way home towards the Dawn Winery. He was plain out of ideas on how to find out who Ser Magnus had been. Sure he could just ask Diluc but he wanted to avoid making his lover go through more sad memories, especially with his birthday so close.

Had Ser Magnus maybe been a part of the underground network Diluc had joined? Or had Diluc been talking about a dream and Ser Magnus never existed? But his lover had sounded so truly distraught, Venti did not think the Ser was just a figment of Diluc’s imagination.

Still mulling over his questions Venti entered the manor and was greeted by a smiling Adelinde. “Good evening Venti! You are just in time for dinner, we are only waiting for Diluc and Elzer to finish up their inspection of the storage tanks.”

Venti nodded with an absent “Good evening Adelinde, thank you for telling me.” before a thought hit him. Adelinde had known Diluc since his birth and definitely knew more about Diluc’s secret contacts than he did. Maybe she could shed some light on who Ser Magnus was or had been? It was worth a try at least.

Venti followed the head maid into the kitchen and, after making sure they were alone, decided to just ask straight up. “Adelinde? Do you know a Ser Magnus?” The headmaid froze while stirring a pot of delicious smelling stew. She turned around and mustered the bard. “ How would you know… Venti, where did you hear that name?”

Venti squirmed a bit under Adelinde’s gaze. “Well…Diluc talks in his sleep.” Adelinde gave the bard a partly amused and partly unbelieving look, causing Venti to quickly speak further. “He does! And mostly it’s just nonsense or something he is dreaming of. It’s really charming actually! But a few nights ago he sounded so heartbroken, saying that it was his fault Ser Magnus was lost to Hilichurls. I thought Ser Magnus must have been a knight of Favonius but Kaeya didn’t know anything about him. And I don’t want to ask Diluc because he is gloomy enough due to, well you know.”

Adelinde put her spoon down and sat down at the nearby table, gesturing for Venti to join her. “Kaeya doesn’t know about Ser Magnus because that was a time before he joined our family. I honestly didn’t expect Diluc to still remember Ser Magnus.”

Venti felt even more confused. So Ser Magnus had existed and Diluc had known him as a young child. But there had been no Magnus with the Knights of Favonius in that timeframe. He voiced his confusion. “So was Ser Magnus a knight or a bodyguard?” Adelinde shook her head, a small smile on her lips. “Oh no. Ser Magnus was a teddy bear.”

Wait, what? Stunned Venti repeated himself out loud. “Wait, what?”

Adelinde’s smile widened. “Ser Magnus was Diluc’s teddy bear. A small brown one wearing a knight’s uniform, that was why he was Ser Magnus.” The maid's smile turned melancholic for a moment. “Mistress Ragnvindr made him when she was pregnant with Diluc. It was his dearest companion. But then…Diluc was barely four years old when we. I mean Master Crepus, Diluc, Elzer and his parents, Tunner, me and some others went for a picnic. All was well and then suddenly..”

“Hilichurls attacked.” Venti finished. The story was starting to make sense. Adelinde nodded gravely. “I don’t know where they came from or what we did to make them mad. Maybe we were just too close. It was pandemonium, screaming children, the adults trying to defend themselves and snatch the children up, Hilichurls snarling. Nobody was hurt badly and everyone got away but in the confusion, Diluc let go of Ser Magnus.”

Venti could picture it clearly. A nice summer day, a lovely picnic and suddenly an attack. And right in the middle a little boy, probably being scoped up by his father, failing to hold onto his dear companion. “Diluc said ‘I let go and left him behind’ and that it had been ‘his task to keep Ser Magnus safe’. He sounded so guilty and defeated.”

Adelinde nodded. “Diluc was inconsolable for months. Master Crepus went back to try and find Ser Magnus, but there were no traces left of it. I honestly thought Diluc had forgotten about him, it was so long ago.”

Before Venti could ask anything further, Moco entered the kitchen quickly followed by Hillie. “Master Diluc and Elzer are nearly done and will be here in a few minutes.” Adelinde nodded, stood up and returned to the stew pot. “Then let’s get ready, girls.”

Venti busied himself helping Mocco set the table when Diluc and Elzer arrived. Diluc walked over and greeted Venti with a quick kiss, causing the junior maids to aww quietly and Elzer to make exaggerated kissy noises. In return Diluc threw a piece of bread at Elzer and Adelinde scolded the both of them for acting like children before the whole group sat down for dinner.

Hours later Venti lay awake studying his sleeping lover's face. So the mysterious Ser Magnus had turned out to be a beloved childhood toy, a mother’s gift, lost and obviously still missed on some level.

Venti sighed quietly to not disturb Diluc in his sleep. How wonderful would it be to be able to give Diluc the bear back. Venti knew that while Diluc adored his father he had no real memories of his mother. Losing the toy she had made must have been hard on the little boy. But the bear was lost. If Crepus had not been able to find anything, and Venti knew that the man would have left no stone unturned trying to find the bear, then the toy had surely been destroyed by the angry Hilichurls.

Venti laid his head down on Diluc’s chest and tried to fall asleep. It was not like he had any means to check what exactly had happened to Ser Magnus after he was lost. Well actually he did have an option but that was just not a possibility. The Irminsul was the repository for all of the information and memories of Teyvat, collected via the Ley Lines. It was not to be used for such trivial matters. And Buer would never allow it to be used for such. Venti frowned. Or would she?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nahida was absolutely delighted to help Venti as soon as he explained why he was in Sumeru. The little goddess of wisdom grinned up at the, honestly not much taller bard, while the grey haired young man with the turquoise and orange eyes that had led Venti into the Sanctuary of Surasthana and Nahida’s office, stood a respectful distance away.

“Of course I will help you out my friend. What a delightful idea to search for your dear ones lost teddy bear!” Venti smiled, relieved. While Nahida had been happy to meet with him he had not really expected her to agree to his request. “We can access the memory here, though it may take a bit of time to find it.” Nahida turned towards the door and waved the young man over. “Alhaitham! Meet my good friend, Barbatos the Anemo Archon.”

Venti’s jaw dropped in shock at having his identity so recklessly exposed. “Nahida!” The goddess of wisdom just waved a hand. “Oh don’t fret my friend, Alhaitham is my Grand Sage and very good at keeping secrets.” “Acting Grand Sage.” the young man, Alhaitham, corrected, looking rather unimpressed to Venti. Apparently meeting the long lost Archon of Mondstadt was not enough to impress the ‘acting’ Grand Sage of Sumeru.

Nahida just smiled sweetly. “Acting Grand Sage of course. Would you be so kind and make sure we are not disturbed? It should not take more than an hour.” Alhaitham just nodded and walked back to the doors. “I will make sure no one comes in. Would you like some refreshments for later?” “Yes and thank you Alhaitham.” With a last nod the young man left and closed the door behind him.

Venti was still a bit stunned when he turned to Nahida. “Well your acting Grand Sage seems to be quite the character. Meeting two Archons would rattle most people.” Nahida just laughed softly and gestured for Venti to sit down on one of the many cushions strewn around a low table. “Alhaitham is for the most part unflappable. It’s what makes him such a good Grand Sage.” Venti sat down and searched for a comfortable position. “It didn't seem like he particularly wanted to be the Grand Sage.”

The little goddess let herself sink into a pillow and giggled. “Oh he does not, which makes him even better suited for it. But I will give him a break before making the position permanent. He still needs to work out some things with his partner and people always like it more if their leaders are married and family men.” Nahida folded herself effortlessly into a lotus pose and held out a hand to Venti. “But enough about politics, let’s search for your beloved’s memories.” Venti grasped her hand and the building around them dissolved into a green tinted white light.

After a few disorienting moments the white light receded and Venti found himself standing next to Nahida at a small cliff overlooking the Winery, quite close to one of his statues. “A root of the Irminsul comes up here, so we have a good vantage point to start looking for the time and memory we need.” Nahida explained to Venti who was busy just looking around. It looked like he and Nahida were standing on a patch of browned grass but the feeling was off. There was no breeze and the sun's rays provided no warmth. Venti was about to ask when Nahida spoke up again. “This is a memory, a picture of the past. It will look real but not feel real. So let’s look a bit closer and see if we can pinpoint when we are.”

Venti looked over at the Winery which was suddenly plunged into moonlight. He mustered the house intently and could just make out Adelinde looking out of a dark window on the upper floor. She seemed to be staring down at a cart on the grounds. Venti fought not to blush as he turned to Nahida. “This night was late last summer. We need to look back at least 18 years earlier.”

Nahida raised an inquisitive eyebrow at the bard. “I’m surprised you can pinpoint the date so accurately with just a look. Are you sure it’s last summer?” Venti nodded trying not to squirm or look at the barely visible figures in the wagon. How could he ever forget his and Diluc’s first kiss? Or the lecture from Adelinde the next day that ‘if they insisted on canoodling outside even if there was a perfectly serviceable bed in Diluc's chambers they should at least use a better concealed location’. Venti cleared his throat and answered in a measured voice. “Yes I am very sure. Let’s look further backwards please.”

From the small smirk on Nahida’s face Venti was fairly sure she knew something more was going on with the memory they just saw. But the little goddess just waved her hand and time seemingly rolled backwards. Sun and moon rose and sunk over the manor house and figures swarmed around the vineyard. The grapes grew and were harvested within moments.

Venti thought he saw a glimpse of a group of children wandering through the vineyard consisting of Diluc, Jean, Kaeya, Elzer and a barely knee high Barbara, but the memory went by too fast. Finally time slowed down again at another wave from Nahida. “There this looks to be the right time frame. And look!”

Venti, feeling a bit disoriented from the rapidly shifting images, looked at where Nahida was pointing. At the front door of the Winery a group of people was assembling. He could clearly recognize a young Adelinde, carrying a picnic basket, as well as a young Tunner holding a big folded sunshade.

Several other adults and children were running around with a few of the younger ones being carried. From the lighting it looked to be early morning on a summer day. Finally another person Venti immediately recognized stepped out of the manor doors. Young Crepus looked remarkably like Diluc, only a bit smaller and slighter with a bold red beard at his chin. The young master of the winery was carrying a blanket covered bundle. Adelinde stepped forward smiling and tugged the blankets a bit aside.

Revealed was a small, clearly still halfway asleep child. Toddler Diluc lifted his head briefly to look around with barely open red eyes before yawning hugely and snuggling back into his father’s arms to go back to sleep. Tightly holding on to a small brown bear wearing a Knight of Favonius uniform. The pair of Archons watched as the small group assembled and after a few inaudible words from Crepus walked out of the vineyard, heading in the direction of Wolfendom.

Venti grabbed Nahida’s hand in excitement. “That must be it! He still has the teddy and did you see how adorable Diluc looked?!” Nahida grinned, swept up by Venti’s obvious elation. “Yes this seems to be the right day. So let’s follow them and see what became of Ser Magnus the teddy.”

The landscape rapidly shifted and Venti found himself at another familiar place. A small plateau near Cecilia Garden, nearly in sight of the ruins of old Mondstadt. He had been here just months ago on an outing with the Traveler, searching for a good place to mine some crystals for Wagner. The place had also been the location of a sizable Hilichurl camp.

But in the memory Nahida and Venti were seeing there were no Hilichurls in sight, only the group from the Dawn Winery, spread out on various rugs and blankets. A few sunshades were placed as a refuge from the heat. Adelinde was sitting on a blanket reading, Tunner and Master Crepus were standing next to a makeshift grill debating something. A few of the older children were playing a ball game while the adults watched and chatted.

Venti walked nearer to the picnic and finally spotted Diluc. The little boy was toddling behind a slightly older child with silver hair. That must be Elzer! And clutched in Diluc’s small fist, was Ser Magnus. Currently being dragged on the ground as Elzer and Diluc seemed to be involved in a game of chase, watched over by what had to be Elzer’s mother.

Nahida stepped next to Venti and joined him watching the children play. She gently smiled at the bard. “Your dearest was an adorable child. And Ser Magnus looks like a very beloved toy.” Venti hummed his agreement to both statements. Watching a barely older than toddler Diluc walking around carrying his teddy and playing with Elzer and the other children was beyond adorable. But whatever he did the small boy had yet to let go of the teddy, Ser Magnus was always at his side.

As much as Venti enjoyed the peaceful scene in front of him he grew more and more tense the more time elapsed. He knew after all how this peaceful picnic would end. And just as the group was ready to settle down for a meal the first angry yells could be heard. The Hilichurls seemed to show up out of nowhere, bellowing in anger and brandishing their weapons.

The picnickers were utterly surprised and as Adelinde had said, pandemonium broke out. Venti watched as Tunner, still manning the grill, grabbed one of the long barbecue forks and lunged at the nearest Hilichurl. Crepus, having handed Diluc off to Adelinde quickly, ripped one of the big parasols out of the ground and swung it in a wide arc to drive a couple of the attackers back. Elzer’s mom, as silverhaired as her son, had shoved the little boy behind her and was throwing bottles out of a cooler at any Hilichurl that got in her sight.

Nahida winced at the sound of a bottle breaking against a Hilichurls’ face, the lady had a very impressive throwing arm. For a few moments it looked like the humans would manage to drive the Hilichurls off. And then the first arrow hit the ground.

The Hilichurl archers kept a careful distance while raining down arrows. Venti winced as he saw Tunner take an arrow to the knee and Nahida let out a short scream when another arrow went right by young Elzer’s head.

Venti tried keeping calm. He knew everyone would make it out alright. He knew that the only thing Tunner would keep was a tendency to know when it would rain by the twinging in his knee. He had seen Elzer just days before. He knew neither Adelinde nor Diluc would be hurt. Still knowing did not make watching Adelinde bow over a wailing Diluc and trying to shield him as much as possible with her body any easier.

Finally the arrows stopped and the Mondstadters could regroup. Two of the men grabbed Tunner, the rest grabbed the children and they all turned to flee. Crepus dropped his, now studded with arrows, parasol and urgently tugged Adelinde up. And then it happened.

While being handed from Adelinde to Crepus, Diluc let go of Ser Magnus, the bear tumbling to the ground. Venti’s heart ached a bit as he watched Crepus and the rest flee, Diluc carried over his father’s shoulder, sobbing and desperately reaching back towards the bear. The Dawn Winery staff had soon vanished and Ser Magnus laid alone in the ruins of the picnic.

Nahida and Venti watched the Hilichurls tear into the left behind food. Venti took the opportunity to take a closer look at the teddy. Ser Magnus was made of brown sheep wool with a pair of brown glass eyes. He was clad in a quite good replica of a Knight of Favonius armor, the small grey breastplate also made out of wool and the symbol of Mondstadt carefully stitched in gold silk. There was even a tiny sword, also made of grey wool, attached to one paw. One eye was a bit cracked and some seams looked a bit loose but that was to be expected from any toy owned by an active child. All in all Ser Magnus was a lovingly crafted teddy, the care that had gone into it obvious.

“Look, they're done eating.” Nahida called from behind Venti. The bard joined his fellow Archon and watched as the pack of Hilichurls finished devouring the roast Elzer and Crepus had so diligently prepared. Among much howling and cheering the Hilichurls started grabbing the various things the Mondstadters had left behind.

Venti was observing Ser Magnus intently and watched as the teddy was rolled up in the rug it had fallen onto. Spoils secured, the Hilichurls started wandering away towards the rocky face of the nearby hill.

Venti turned to Nahida as the pair of them followed the still hooting and hollering horde. “I know where they are going. There’s a cave back there with many Crystal Chunks, the Traveler and I went there to get some material for Mondstadt’s blacksmith. There was a Hilichurl camp in front of the cave.”

The Archons followed the Hilichurls to the mouth of the cave and then inside. The cave was as bare as Venti remembered, only a few crystal formations and heaps of rubble dotted here and there. He was about to address Nahida if they should move the memory further along when the Hilichurls suddenly vanished around a corner. Astonished Venti saw that there was a very well hidden corridor leading into the seemingly sheer stone wall at the back of the cave. It had been so cleverly concealed behind one of the rubble piles that neither he, the Traveler or Paimon had spotted it the last time they visited the cave.

While Venti watched the Hilichurls seemingly melt into the grey stone wall speechless, Nahida giggled delightedly. “Oh a secret entrance! Maybe there is a whole city underground there?” Venti swallowed. “Or an entrance into the Abyss. I was just in this cave a few months ago and never noticed that corridor.” Nahida was already following the Hilichurls down the dark passageway. “It’s just a memory, even if it leads to the Abyss we will be safe. Now come on Barbatos, do you want to know what happened to Ser Magnus or not?” With a cry of. “Yes of course I do.” Venti quickly followed the small green and white shape of the goddess of wisdom.

The passage did not lead to a whole underground city but the large cave it revealed was certainly big enough to house one. The Hilichurl camp set up in the middle of it could certainly count as at least a small village. Nahida and Venti were so busy staring at the mass of Hilichurls running around the place they nearly lost sight of the one carrying the rug with Ser Magnus. After a few frantic moments Nahida managed to spot the Hilichurl archer again and ran after it. “Venti, over there! He’s taking the rugs to the chasm!”

The green clad bard quickly ran after Nahida. The Hilichurl was headed towards the side of the cave where a deep pit was. Venti and Nahida stopped at its edge and stared down the jagged cliff face. The pit had to be at least 160 feet long and nearly as wide across. It looked very deep, just a dark hole in the grey stone.

Venti watched the Hilichurl stop at the edge of the pit and put down the rugs it was carrying. Feeling slightly panicky he turned to Nahida. “He’s not going to throw the rugs down the hole is he?!” Nahida also watched with apprehension but shook her head. “I don’t think so. Why bother bringing them all the way here to just throw them down a bottomless pit later? That makes no sense, even for a Hilichurl.” Both Archons anxiously watched what the Hilichurl would do next.

The Hilichurl in question grabbed the first rug, rolled it out and gave it a good shake over the edge of the pit to remove any rubbish and dust before rolling it up again. Venti watched the proceedings with growing anxiety. If the Hilichurl threw Ser Magnus into that pit there would be no way to retrieve him.

Finally it was Ser Magnus’ rug’s turn. The Hilichurl unfolded the rug and Ser Magnus came tumbling out. Venti watched with baited breath as the small bear rolled along the stone floor towards the dark pit. Nahida grabbed his hand and squeezed hard, both Archons only being able to watch as the bear reached the edge of the pit.

Ser Magnus wavered for a bit on the edge before falling over. “No! Damn it!” Venti and Nahida hurried over to the edge where the poor bear had surely fallen into the depths below. Both peered intently into the darkness before Nahida suddenly shouted, slapping Venti’s shoulder in her excitement. “There, I can see him! He’s lying on that little ledge!”

Venti winced a bit at the force of Nahida’s hit but quickly found the place she meant. Around 20 feet below them was a small ledge that had stopped the bear's tumble into the abyss.

Venti sighed in relief, Ser Magnus was not totally lost. He turned to Nahida, the little goddess nearly being giddy with relief as well. “Do you think he’s still there? This memory is more than a decade old after all.” Nahida waved her hand and the cave dissolved back into her office in the Sanctuary of Surasthana.

The sudden change of surroundings made Venti a bit dizzy and he nearly tumbled off his pillow. Nahida smiled a bit embarrassed. “Sorry I did not warn you. But I do think the good Ser Magnus still waits on that ledge for rescue. I doubt anyone has moved him since the time we just saw.”

Venti was still trying to regain his equilibrium when the door opened and the acting Grand Sage stepped inside the office, carrying a tray with tea and a few refreshments. Nahida waved in greeting. “Hello Alhaitham, thank you for bringing the tea. I think we both can use a cup right now.” The young man stepped closer and put the tray on the table. Venti gratefully grabbed a steaming cup of the fragrant tree, traveling through the Irminsul’s memories had been taxing on him. Nahida seemed absolutely unaffected by their recent trip and cheerfully reached for one of the offered pastries.

Alhaitham looked Venti over critically before addressing Nahida. “Will you be all right? It’s nearly five o’clock already.” Nahida just smiled and took another bite of her pastry. “Don’t worry, we'll be fine, you can go home on time. Have a good night Alhaitham, say hello to Kaveh for me, will you?” Alhaitham nodded, already moving towards the door. “I will. Have a good night Nahida, Lord Barbatos.” Without further ado the acting Grand Sage strode out of the door and closed it behind him.

Venti stared at the closed door. “So the leader of your government, sorry ‘acting’ leader of your government, clocks out at 5 o’clock? And just goes home?” Nahida reached for a second pastry while nodding. “Alhaitham has a very high opinion of his time. And after 5 o’clock his time working is over. You should try the Candied Ajilenakh Nuts.”

The bard reached for the indicated dish and broke off a piece to taste it. Enjoying the sweet and rich taste he turned back to Nahida. “Would you loan your acting Grand Sage to Mondstadt for a few weeks? Our acting Grandmaster is working herself to exhaustion trying to deal with everyone’s issues, from tax forms to run away cats. Your Alhaitham may be able to teach Jean a bit about work-life balance.”

Nahida gave the idea some thought before answering. “I’m pretty sure Alhaitham would just tell her to tell everyone who brings something trivial before her to just go away and then he would hide away in your library.” Venti reached for another piece of the dessert. “That’s too bad. Maybe it will help a bit if I just tell Jean how Sumeru handles its new governance.”

The two friends continued chatting, drinking more tea and demolishing the assorted refreshments. An hour or so later Venti got up, it was time he returned to Mondstadt and plan a rescue. Bending down he hugged Nahida tightly goodbye. “Thank you again for helping me with this. I know it’s not how Irminsul should be used.”

Nahida just giggled and hugged back. “Don’t worry, I can make exceptions for good friends and noble causes.” Venti grinned and was halfway to the door before he turned around with a bashful expression. “And Nahida? Could we please keep this between us? Morax has enough fun teasing me about ‘my bartender’ whenever we meet up. The old lizard doesn’t need any more ammunition.”

Nahida just smiled gently “Have no fear my friend, your secret is safe with me.” The little goddess' smile turned mischievous. “And if Morax insists on teasing you about ‘your bartender’ just ask him how things are going with ‘his Fatui Harbinger’.’”

“HIS WHAT?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two days later Venti was back in Mondstadt and gearing up for the daring rescue of Ser Magnus. Now that he knew where to look it should be no problem to get into the cave and get the bear back.

The Hilichurls in front of the cave were easily enough dealt with and soon he headed into the dark passageway he had seen in the memory of Irminsul. Carefully creeping along the natural stone corridor Venti listened intently for any sounds that could indicate how many Hilichurls may be waiting in the cavern. Curiously the bard could hear nothing that sounded like there were any Hilichurls waiting before him. Just the steady sound of dripping water.

Bow drawn and ready Venti stepped out of the passageway and stopped cold. No wonder there had been no sound of any activity. Gone were the tents and fireplaces of the Hilichurl camp. Only several pools of shallow water remained, separated by debris and stones. Some time in the past the cave had apparently suffered a massive flood. A small waterfall was trickling down in the far end of the cavewall indicating where the water had broken in.

Venti resisted the urge to curse. He’d rather have fought off a whole Hilichurl village than see the mess of debris and dirty water before him. Sighing deeply he resolved to at least try looking at the place Ser Magnus should have been laying. Venti did not believe that the water would have left the bear alone, most of it must have drained down the pit in the cave after all. It was more than unlikely that Ser Magnus' little ledge would have been spared the downpour.

The bard made his way to the edge of the chasm he had seen with Nahida. Carefully hopping and stepping around the various pools of partly extremely fetid and dirty water Venti finally reached the edge of the pit. He tried to orient himself but the various damages the flood had caused made the ledge look very different than the memory had shown.

Venti wandered around the ledge for a while staring down into the darkness. Nothing to see. Damn it. The bard was just about to turn around when a small sparkle caught his eye. The cave was barely lit by some faults in its ceiling and yet somehow, something down there was reflecting that light back.

Intrigued, Venti sat down the pack he had brought along and retrieved a small closed lantern. A few moments later the lantern was lit and carefully lowered down on a thin rope. In the candle's light the source of the sparkling was soon revealed. Venti nearly dropped the lantern in shock and elation.

At least 30 feet down was Ser Magnus, wedged between two stones! Looking up, the bear's glass eyes were sparkling up at him. What a stroke of luck!

Grinning from ear to ear, Venti prepared himself to use a gust of anemo to get the poor bear out of the pit. After a bit of trial and error Venti finally managed to free the toy without ripping the poor bear in half.

The bear shot up out of the hole and into the bard’s waiting hands. With a small shout of triumph Venti regarded his price. Ser Magnus had weathered the time spent in a dark, damp cave surprisingly well. The seams were loose and in some places his colour had changed from brown and silver to a dull grey/green. The right eye was only holding on by a few threads and the poor bear smelled like it had lain in refuse for the last few years. But the Ser was still wearing his uniform and carrying his small sword.

Venti was overjoyed that he had managed to get the toy without damaging it beyond repair. What repairs were needed would certainly fall under Adelinde’s skill set. Venti knew she was a very good seamstress and had so far managed to get all stains out of his shirts, whether they be wine or something else. So Venti was very hopeful that the headmaid would be able to return Ser Magnus to his former glory.

An arrow whizzed by, nearly taking Ser Magnus' head clean off. Venti whirled around to the entrance of the cave where a small group of Hilichurls had gathered. The bard growled in anger and summoned his bow. He would not allow anyone to take the bear away from him right now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Adelinde was preparing dinner when she was startled by the back door of the kitchen slamming open. She instinctually grabbed one of the sharp carving knives normally used for the roast before she recognized the intruder standing panting in the still open door.

“Venti! Goodness, you scared me, what happened?!” The bard looked like he had taken a dip in a puddle and had chosen the muddiest and smelliest puddle he could find. Venti’s beret was halfway hanging off his head, the ever present Cecilia gone missing. His cape was dripping foul smelling water onto the wooden floor and his, formerly white, tights looked like a total loss.

Utterly confused, she watched the bard scamper up to her with a big grin on his face and hold something up to her face. “I found him!”

Adelinde stared confused at the thing Venti was shoving into her face. “You found who? Venti you look like you took a bath in a pig trough! What happened to…”

Adelinde trailed off as she got a better look at the thing Venti was holding. The little mound of fabric suddenly resolved itself into a rather bedraggled looking teddy bear. A brown teddy with a grey breastplate and a sword attached to one paw. “It can’t be..Ser Magnus?” Venti laughed loudly. “Yes! I found him!”

Adelinde picked the small teddy up. It was truly Ser Magnus. Wet and a bit moldy but unmistakable Ser Magnus. “Venti, how did you ever find that bear?!” The bard just giggled and bounced a bit in joy. “Bard’s secret! But can you restore the bear Adelinde? Diluc's birthday is just a few days away.”

The head maid took a more critical look at the bear. The seams would have to be restitched and the bear would need to be washed, probably multiple times. The eye would need to be reattached but all in all the bear was in surprisingly good condition, having been lost for nearly two decades.

“Yes, yes I think I can. You plan to give him to Diluc for his birthday?” Venti nodded eagerly. “Yes! I hope giving Diluc Ser Magnus back will cheer him up. Returning a piece of his childhood to remind him of the good times he had with his father and a remembrance of his mother.”

Adelinde looked from the unkempt bear to the bard. Venti was grinning in pure joy and still blissfully wriggling a bit in place, reminding her of a happy puppy. “Venti, I think that is a lovely idea and Diluc will love it too. Now it’s nearly time for dinner so I suggest you go upstairs to wash up. Don’t you worry I will take care of Ser Magnus, he’ll be good as new soon.” Venti bowed to her and quickly scampered up the stairs, still beaming happily.

Adelinde watched him go and smiled to herself, carefully putting the damp Ser Magnus down on the counter. If she was honest with herself, Adelinde had been weary of Venti at first. While she was glad that Venti made Diluc happy, she had feared that the bard would only be a temporary addition to the family. Bards were known to be flighty after all and Venti was a true bard, a sweet but capricious spirit. She had feared he would grow restless and leave, breaking her son’s heart.

But Venti had surprised her. He’d stayed. He’d become a part of the family. Helping Moco and Hillie with their chores, listening to Tunner’s tales of the good old times, playing music for Elzer when the CEO was doing paperwork and sharing recipes with Adelinde. And the most important part, Venti made Diluc smile again. Truly smile, not that cold sardonic smirk he had sported after coming back from Snezhnaya.

Faint sounds of conversation drifted through the door from the main hall, it sounded like Moco and Hillie were back. Adelinde quickly grabbed Ser Magnus and put the bear in a safe space in the laundry room. With a last smile at the little bear she walked back into the kitchen, she would start working on restoring the teddy later tonight. And give Venti a big hug as soon as she caught him alone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Diluc’s birthday dawned bright and lovely, very much not fitting the birthday boy’s actual mood. Though Diluc had to admit that his day had started lovely with being kissed awake by Venti, who was the first one awake for once, whispering “Happy birthday Geliebter.” into his ear.

Breakfast had been very nice as well with the whole household present and quietly wishing him well. There had also been gifts. Elzer had given him a new set of self inking pens, hinting that with better equipment Diluc might be more inclined to actually do his paperwork in time. Moco and Hillie had gotten him a new set of ascots in three different colors to match the formal attire he had to put on for winery events. Tunner had come inside for a moment to present Diluc with a book about the keeping and training of hawks and other raptor breeds. Adelinde hugged him and gave him a scarf that would go well with his normal outfit and blend in with the clothes he wore when going out as the so-called Darknight Hero. Which was still a frigging ridiculous name.

Venti had congratulated him again too and then had mumbled something about “giving him his gift later tonight when they were alone.” Causing Elzer and Moco to waggle their eyebrows at him and Hillie to blush. Adelinde just smiled conspiratorially at Venti, making Diluc wonder what exactly his partner had planned for later.

After breakfast Diluc made his way to his office, he would work here for a bit before leaving for Mondstadt in the afternoon. The Angel’s Share was already open but not many people were there when Diluc arrived. Diluc busied himself cleaning and checking the inventory, dull but necessary work that kept his thoughts occupied.

A bit later in the day Diluc heard the door open and looked up to see Jean entering the tavern. “Jean, I did not expect to see you in the Angel’s Share of all places.” The blonde smiled and stepped up to the bar, nodding at the few other patrons who were calling out greetings. “Hello Diluc. I figured you would be here and decided to come and meet you.” She leaned closer and lowered her voice. “I wanted to wish you a happy birthday from myself and Barbara. Unfortunately she is busy with church work otherwise she’d be congratulating you in person too. This is from the both of us.” Jean pushed a flat package towards Diluc.

Diluc carefully sliced the tasteful wrapping paper with his knife and opened the package to find two white handkerchiefs one embroidered with the Dawn Winery’s logo the other with the Ragnvindr crest.

“We figured you could need them for the upcoming social season.” Diluc chuckled softly and admired the finely done embroidery. “I’m beginning to suspect I was badly dressed last season, this is the second gift for more formal occasions I receive today. Thank you Jean and please convey my thanks to Barbara as well.” Jean grinned a bit mischievous. “Well not badly dressed, more a bit homely. But since you have Venti as a partner now I suspect your wardrobe will be a bit more extravagant this year Master Diluc.” Diluc snorted “Venti will be delighted. Well I will endeavor to be more fashionable this season.”

Diluc helped out in the Angel’s Share until the sun was nearly going down before he could no longer avoid his next stop. Grabbing the flowers Flora had provided, a mixture of Cecilias and Windwheel Asters and one Small Lamp Grass, he slowly made his way to the cathedral, bypassing the grand building and heading to the graveyard. In a small secluded part, shaded by a couple of cedars stood a lone headstone.

Diluc slowly stepped closer and was surprised to already find a small collection of flowers laying on the cold marble of the grave. “Adelinde and Elzer were already here.” Diluc managed not to flinch as Kaeya’s voice suddenly rang out. His brother, a small bouquet of Calla Lilies and Windwheel Asters in hand, stepped next to him. Both looking down at the slab of white marble. “As well as Jean and Barbara. I was just waiting for you to come along.”

Diluc inclined his head. “I see. Thank you for waiting for me Kaeya.” Both brothers put their flowers down on Crepus' grave, standing quietly next to each other, not talking, each lost in their own thoughts.

After a few moments Kaeya lifted his head taking in the slowly sinking down sun on the horizon. Turning he looked at the still busy cathedral square and the great statue of Barbatos in its middle. He nudged Diluc and pointed at the statue, a small smile on his face. “Remember when we climbed the statue?”

Diluc looked up at the stretched out hands of the statue and couldn’t help smiling too. “I remember. It was quite a view from the top of it. If only climbing down had been as easy as climbing up.”

Both brothers laughed. Getting up the statue had been surprisingly easy, just walking along the edge of the robe led them up to nearly the top. They had made their way along the arms and sat down on the Barbatos’ hands to admire the view over Mondstadt. After a while the boys had decided to go down again only to discover that it was far more complicated than getting up there.

In the end it had taken their father, Grandmaster Varka, some knights and a lot of yelling to get the both of them safely back down. Diluc tried his best not to flush in remembered embarrassment. There had been a small crowd at the foot of the statue when Varka had finally managed to carry both boys down. Crepus had just hugged him and Kaeya for a long time before telling them that they were grounded until they both turned 18. In the end they had only been grounded for two months but the punishment had been very effective nonetheless.

An idea suddenly came to Kaeya and he turned to Diluc who was looking at the statue with a small smile on his face. “Want to try again?” “Try what? Climbing up the statue?” “Yes. The view will still be here and we both have gliders now. If we mess up the climb down again we can just jump and glide.”

Kaeya had not much hope that Diluc would say yes, the idea was surely too silly for the stoic Master Diluc. Which was why he was utterly unprepared for Diluc to answer “Why not? Bet I can get up there before you!” and start sprinting towards the plaza. Kaeya gaped for a moment in shock before he ran after his brother who by now had a good headstart on climbing and was nearly up to Barbato’s knees.

Diluc was already sitting on Barbatos’ outstretched hands when Kaeya managed to make it up to the stone Archon’s neck. “That was unfair! I didn’t think you’d even agree to come up here.” “You’re just saying that because you lost. Now get over here, the sunset will soon be over.”

Kaeya was still grumbling about cheating older brothers but he quickly joined Diluc and sat next to him admiring the sunset over Cider Lake. Both brothers stayed silent, legs dangling off the statue, until the last rays of sunlight had vanished. Sitting under the slowly emerging stars Kaeya turned to look at Diluc and pulled a small package out of his pocket. “I know you don’t really celebrate it but…Happy Birthday, Diluc.”

Silently nodding his thanks Diluc took the small package and opened it to find a pair of silver cufflinks, engraved with the head of an owl. “Thank you Kaeya, I can use these with the ascots Hillie and Mocco got me. I’ll be very well prepared for the formal season in fall this year.” Kaeya grinned, pleased that Diluc liked his gift. “I’m glad I am not the only one who got you something, though I should have known the Dawn Winery would not let you go without any presents.”

Diluc smiled softly and started telling Kaeya about the various presents he had received this morning. The cavalry captain listened attentively, nodding along before commenting. “They all seem to have taken much care in choosing their gifts for you. But I noticed that you did not mention Venti giving you anything. Don’t tell me he wasn’t at the Winery this morning?”

Diluc shook his head and looked up at the stars. “Oh he was there, Venti just said he’d give me his gift later tonight.” “Oh. Well then this is my cue to leave. Wouldn’t want to keep you from getting your ‘gift’ for too long. Give my love to Adelinde and the rest, greet Venti, have fun with your ‘gift’ and never tell me any details.” Diluc sighed and stood up. “Why do all of you have such dirty minds? First Elzer and Mocco and now you my own brother.”

Kaeya critically examined the way he and Diluc would have to climb down, then gestured toward the edge of the statue's hands before answering. “Because we know you and Venti. And we know how you two act together. The things I’ve seen.” Diluc nodded and stepped towards the edge, trying to climb down in near darkness was more dangerous than gliding. “If you had learned to knock at any point in your life you would not have seen anything.”

With a jaunty wave at Diluc, Kaeya stepped off the statue and activated his glider, catching a gust of wind that would take him into the direction of the Favonius headquarters. Diluc followed with a wave of his own using his own glider to drift in the direction of the city gate.

While gliding briefly next to his brother Diluc used the opportunity to yell. “I am expecting you to show up for dinner tomorrow, Addy is making your favourite!” Kaeya gave him a thumbs-up and another wave before gliding down, startling the knights on door guard duty when the cavalry captain suddenly swooped down at them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two days later Kaeya received an official reprimand for “reckless gliding within the city limits” from a grinning Amber who reassured him that Diluc would get his own reprimand in the mail within two to three business days.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After managing to nearly glide over the city walls Diluc was on his way home, walking leisurely in the direction of the Dawn Winery. The day had been…fine. Spending time with his family and friends had been nice, the gifts had been appreciated and visiting father’s grave with Kaeya had been strangely soothing. For the first time since the night of his 18th birthday he had actually enjoyed his birthday. Diluc immediately felt guilty for daring to find some joy on this day but pushed the feeling down as hard as he could. He knew his father would not want him to grieve forever for him and would not begrudge him finding joy on this day.

Diluc could see the Winery come into view, most lights were dimmed but one window on the upper floor was still bright. Smiling to himself, Diluc walked a bit faster. Truth be told he had absolutely no idea what Venti’s gift might be. Knowing the bard it could be anything from a new song composed for him, something interesting the bard had found on his journeys like a new cutting of grapes from far away, a book he knew would be to Diluc’s taste or something going in the direction Kaeya had hinted at. Whatever it was he was sure he would love it.

Stepping through the door into the main hall Diluc could see that the rest of the staff had retired already and he and Venti were alone in the manor. Taking off his shoes and coat Diluc made his way up the stairs to the small sitting room next to the master bedroom where he and Venti often spent their evenings with a book and a bottle of wine respectively.

A fire was burning in the hearth and there was a bottle of alcohol free cider chilling in a bucket with two glasses nearby. Venti had clearly been preparing for him but the bard was nowhere to be seen. “Venti?” Diluc called out looking around the room.

“I’ll be with you in a moment!” the bard called from the bedroom. Who would have expected that gift wrapping could be so complicated. Venti finally managed to get the bow fixed on the box that held the newly restored Ser Magnus.

Adelinde had done an exceptional job repairing and refurbishing the bear. Ser Magnus was once more a deep brown color, his uniform and the embroidery looking like new. The little sword had been sewed securely back into his paw and both the bear’s glass eyes were once again firmly attached to its head. Venti grabbed the finally wrapped box, took a deep breath and walked into the sitting room.

Diluc had sat down on the couch in front of the fireplace and poured two glasses of cider. Now he was really curious about what Venti had planned. Diluc watched as Venti stepped into the room, in his normal outfit he noted a tad disappointed, carrying a small colorful box topped by a lopsided bow. Venti presented the box to Diluc with a small slightly nervous smile. “Happy birthday love.”

Diluc accepted the box with a smile and gestured for Venti to sit down next to him. He started to carefully unwrap his present while Venti watched him attentively. Getting the bow off after a few tries he lifted the top off the box and lifted the contents out of it.

Diluc stared at the small teddy bear that had been in the box confused. Why would Venti gift him a stuffed animal? Well it was cute in its little Knights of Favonius uniform with the tiny sword in one paw. Diluc turned to Venti to thank him for the gift when the memory hit him.

The bear in his hands felt familiar. He stared at the bear and took in all the little features. The brown glass eyes, one slightly chipped, the rounded ears, one a bit smaller than the other and the golden symbol of the Knights symbol lovingly stitched into the grey wool breastplate. The way it felt in his hands, the soft wool and the coarse stitching, the way the tiny sword was hanging from one paw.

“This feels familiar…I think…I remember that bear!…That’s Ser Magnus! But I lost him! I let go of him when the Hilichurls came! Venti, how did you…?!”

Diluc could only stare at Venti in shock before staring at the bear again. It just couldn’t be the actual Ser Magnus, he’d lost that bear over 18 years ago. But how had Venti managed to get such an accurate copy of it? How would he even know of Ser Magnus? Not even Kaeya knew about that teddy!

Venti put his glass down and settled closer to Diluc. He was happy Diluc had accepted his gift. “Well it took a visit to Sumeru and the help of the Dendro Archon to check where the good Ser had been after your picnic got ambushed but I managed to rescue him from where the Hilichurls had taken him.” Venti declared proudly.

Diluc stared at him wide eyed with shock and was silent for so long Venti was starting to get worried. Diluc finally spoke in a hoarse voice.

“This is the actual Ser Magnus?” “Yes, Geliebter.” “Not a replica, the one my mother made?” “Yes, Geliebter.” “The teddy I lost over 18 years ago?” “Yes, Geliebter.”

“I Venti,I don’t know what to say. This is..thank you Venti.” Diluc blinked rapidly to get rid of the moisture gathering in his eyes. He was not going to cry over a teddy bear. But this was Ser Magnus, the only thing he ever had from the mother he could not remember.

Venti cupped his hands around Diluc’s face and pressed their foreheads together, gently wiping away the few tears that escaped his lover’s usual ironclad control. “You are very welcome, love.” Diluc gave a choked laugh and used his free hand to draw Venti into a kiss. “How did you even know about him? Did Adelinde tell you about Ser Magnus? Don’t lie, I know she has been showing you my baby pictures.”

Venti giggled and snuggled up to Diluc’s side, one hand stroking softly over Ser Magnus' head. Adelinde had shown him some childhood pictures of Diluc and Kaeya but had been holding out on the baby albums for now. “No she didn’t.” Diluc shifted a bit and tugged Venti into his lap, still holding on to the teddy bear. “Then how did you even know about Ser Magnus? I barely remember him.”

Venti squirmed a bit and looked furtively up at Diluc from beneath his lashes. “Uhm…you talk in your sleep. And mentioned him.” “I do what?” Diluc looked baffled. Venti grinned up at him and nodded. “You talk in your sleep! It’s actually adorable, you kept mentioning birds and ranting about the knights. And then one night you sounded so heartbroken and lamented that you had let go of Ser Magnus. I thought Ser Magnus might have been a fellow knight but I couldn’t find him. And then Adelinde told me Ser Magnus was a teddy. Your teddy.”

Diluc rearranged them on the low couch so he could comfortably hold Venti and keep Ser Magnus close. “So Adelinde told you. But what has a trip to Sumeru to do with anything?” Venti got comfortable before answering. “Well I had to find out what happened to Ser Magnus so I contacted the only person who could help me. The Dendro Archon was more than happy to help me access the memories in the Irminsul to look for your bear.”

Venti felt Diluc stiffen. “You asked the Dendro Archon for help?” “I did and Nahida was delighted to help. We found out that the Hilichurls took Ser Magnus to a camp in a cave. I came back and rescued him. Adelinde was the one who restored Ser Magnus, he was in pretty rough shape.”

Diluc buried his face in Venti’s hair and hugged him closer. “You are incredible…and utterly crazy. Gods I love you.” Venti squirmed until he could face Diluc grinning at his lover and playfully hitting his chest. “Just crazy for you. Did you enjoy your birthday?” Diluc smiled, dropping a short kiss on Venti’s smiling lips. “I did. Thanks to you and the others.” Venti snuggled closer, Ser Magnus now pressed between the pair. “Good. You deserve it.”

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The next morning Adelinde slowly opened the door to the sitting room, after all this time she had learned to be careful when Diluc and Venti were alone in a room for any given time. Carefully looking into the room Adelinde smiled widely at what she saw. The fire had burned down to embers in the fireplace and the sunlight coming in through the windows was bathing the room in a warm golden light.