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Lohen knew he made a good choice coming to Windrise. Under the shade of the oak tree with the nighttime breeze in his hair, one could hardly smell all the blood on his clothes.
Even with a cut on his right shoulder, climbing the tree trunk wasn’t particularly difficult, nor was sitting on the highest branch he saw. Lohen busied himself with languidly kicking his feet and admiring the view below, then staring dazedly at the stars in the sky. Mondstadt really was the place to be, especially after fighting all sorts of monsters.
He was just beginning to feel his eyes glaze over from exhaustion when a slight shift occurred in the breeze. He snapped his head to the right, eyes widening and unwounded arm poised to strike—
“Woah!” A familiar green-clothed bard flinched at the jagged blade, arms wrapped protectively around his lyre. “Careful there, young knight! I haven’t even chosen a song for the evening yet…”
Lohen opened his mouth, then closed it. “I- Venti? Sorry, I thought you were…”
He trailed off, realizing he’d reached for his trusty knife without thinking twice. Clearing his throat, he returned it to its proper place. Venti, oddly accepting of the fact that Lohen had almost stabbed him in the face, smiled in return.
“Old habits die hard, eh?”
“...You could say that.”
Letting out a sigh, Lohen looked down at his feet, letting them resume swinging in the air…
Before looking up once more. “Wait, how did you even get up h–?”
“Oh, what a beautiful evening this is!” Venti gushed, fingers dancing along the lyre’s strings. “An inspiring evening at that. I may just compose a piece on the spot!”
“Please- Please don’t.” Lohen needed silence tonight, honestly. There was a pounding in his head and an emptiness in his chest. Music wouldn’t remedy either.
The bard, as teasing as he was, took the hint and put his lyre away. He almost seemed to mature as he folded his hands in his lap, a serene smile on his lips.
“So what are you doing up here so late at night?” He asked. “You should be sleeping away at home.”
He doesn’t care that I climbed the tree, just the hour I’m climbing it at? Lohen shrugged. “I came out here because I couldn’t sleep. View’s pretty great from up here, thought it could- I dunno, take my mind off things.”
Venti let out a hum of acknowledgment, watching Lohen with those green eyes of his. “And, if I may be so bold, what thoughts are plaguing your mind at this hour?”
Lohen, too tired to muster his usual defensiveness, simply pretended he hadn’t heard Venti’s question and stared straight ahead. Only the sound of the rustling leaves and the gentle breeze filled the space around them.
Venti didn’t look offended by this; rather, his expression only softened. “I see. Quite troublesome thoughts indeed.”
That look, emanating nothing but kindness, bored right through Lohen. Blood-curdling, almost, the feeling of being known like that. He didn’t dare look too long.
“You can spare me the lecture.” The laugh Lohen huffed out was weaker than usual. The fighting really took a lot out of him, didn’t it? Yeah, that was it. “I’ll be fine. Most of this isn’t my blood anyway.”
“That,” Venti laughed, “was not my concern, but noted...
“I suppose I’ll get out of your hair now,” he continues, moving to stand on the branch and pulling out his lyre once more. Before jumping down, however, he leaned closer to Lohen, smiling knowingly at the way the knight’s eyes widened.
“Physical exertion might do you some good,” he murmured, “but I find that in times of grief, sharing your thoughts with the wind can be far more helpful.”
He stepped back with a laugh, plucking a string. “Oh wind, such an excellent keeper of secrets!”
Bewildered, all Lohen could do was look dumbly at the bard. “How did you-”
Venti shook his head, braids swishing back and forth. “I’ll be off now. As for you…”
The wind began to pick up, erratically so. Lohen let out a yelp as he slipped on the branch, well on the path to falling down.
“May you sleep peacefully tonight, Lohen.”
When he opened his eyes, he was descending gently to the ground, as though he were floating. Venti was nowhere to be seen.
Since old habits truly die hard, the knight found himself reaching for his knife, nodding his head out of relief that it was still there. He then looked up at the leaves, down at the grass, and ahead at the nearby Statue of the Seven.
The wind had died down considerably now, its presence only shown how it ruffled Lohen’s hair.
He wanted to sleep.
But more than that… something necessary had to be done.
So, Lohen limped over to the Statue and plopped himself down beside it. Not quite the same feeling without the bard, but it’d have to do.
It was quiet now. The wind was waiting for him. He shut his eyes and leaned against the stone.
“Adorno?” He whispered to the wind, rubbing his injured arm in a weak attempt at soothing.
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry I didn’t visit you more.”