[video un: dandelionwine] at our next merry meeting away in the sky.

[concierto]

[The video starts with a tall tree and collection of bright stars above as Venti is pointing the device upwards. The night sky is sparkling with bright nightly colours. The video pans down wildly to show feet dangling from one branch. One brown loafer shoe just barely hanging on by a toe. Then a weepy voice sings along with a soft sad melody...]

An arbor of flowers and a kettle of wine... Alas in the bowers no companion is mine.

[The shoe falls from his foot and hits the ground below. Only to be met with a huff and whine as the one in the tree starts to sip from a large wine bottle. The camera pans up again with the view of the whole bottle before there is a glimpse of Venti's face as he sips it.]

Then the moon sheds her rays on my goblet and me... And my shadow betrays we’re a party of three.

Party of three...! Your poem is the worst! Just terrible...!!

[Venti sighs...]

See the moon–how she dances in response to my song. See my shadow–it dances so lightly along... While sober I feel, you are both my good friends. ...While drunken I reel, our companionship ends...

[A soft sob as Venti takes another big sip of wine and lets the lonely ache overtake his singing. The camera pans down again as he's unable to finish the last few lines of a poem that Zhongli wrote him. Now that his old friend is gone.]

You and the curious starshine too... how boring...

Comments

[peninhand]

It sounds like someone you are good friend with.

[ Classic of good friends to speak like that about each other. But then, why was he drunk...? And weepy, to boot? She could hazard a guess... But she wouldn't voice it. Nobody liked being reminded of their woes. ]

[concierto]

[Her guess is probably right on the nose. The weepy bard is weeping because that dear friend is gone and he's absolutely going to be mad at him forever for it.]

I suppose you could say we're good friends... At least with enough years, you find yourself attached to another person enough to be considered that.

[peninhand]

[ It's not his fault! Be mad at the player. They're the ones who ruin everything, believe Monika on this. Never trust a player! ]

Yeah... Sometimes you spend so much time with someone, even though you'd never imagined yourself befriending someone like that, feelings just came with time.

[concierto]

Precisely so...

[He would absolutely blame the outside forces if he could or was aware of it! Boo the player! Boo!]

I doubt he'll care all that much at all that he left me here on my own to finish this song without him.

[Venti huffs again.]

[peninhand]

Well, it's not quite possible to say whether he would care or not.

[ Here comes the attempt at reassuring! ]

We tend to always picture the worst possible scenarios... But in truth, I'm sure he would care.

[concierto]

[Oh, what a sweet and lovely answer.]

He might rather throw a mountain at me for all my whining.

[... And that's not even an exaggeration. But perhaps there is something of truth in her assumption.]

Missing someone is such sweet sorrow, isn't it?

[peninhand]

Mhm...

[ She looked away for a moment. She did miss her friends... Yet she would rather never see them in this world with her. That was strange. Selfish in a way, horrible. But she couldn't help it knowing they'd steal everything from her should they appear here. ]

You'll probably meet them again, you know? Everyone is so set on fixing everything, the worlds will probably be saved ere long...

[concierto]

I'm sure you're quite correct on that one, my dear.

[Venti doesn't seem pleased to hear it, though. His head tilts to the side in question. His braids swishing with the motion.]

But I would much rather that they were here to experience such an event with me. It's rather rude of them to get up and vanish without a single thought. Be it of their own volition or not.

[Venti has no problem with being selfish.]

[peninhand]

[ Be it of their own volition or not, huh? Speak about peak irrational. It was like if she got angry at her friends for disappearing. Not that they had disappeared, mind you. But there was no rationalizing with people when they hurt.

Or were drunk. ]

Why don't you write exactly what you want to tell them once you see them again? This way you're sure you can tell them exactly what's on your heart in due time!

[ Writing always helped her... And writing something to someone, even if they'll never see it, is a way to cope very often. ]

[concierto]

[Double combo! Hurt and drunk!!

... But she does make a good point.]

Hm. You might be on to something, with that. [Venti's expression softens before he huffs.] I can write that old rock-headed buffon the meanest most heartfelt poem he has ever heard in his entire life.

[Mean but heartfelt. Apparently, these words are what are in Venti's heart! Truth be told Venti truly does miss this person. But he also wants to write them a mean song.]