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Do Not Abuse The WindComm
———
Barbatos would sometimes get surprised at the power of belief.
The winds bring and carry all kinds of stuff to them. It was the norm for Barbatos ever since the beginning of their existence in the most Primordial Timeline. It took a while to adapt to the past, present, and future that Barbatos would always see within their mind; but now, Barbatos was not the very first Barbatos, they could compartmentalize these things correctly! Not to mention their people’s prayers. . .
Oh, the prayers. Venti swallowed down a groan, when another came.
“Lord Barbatos, please wind me a whisper, could you please bring forth wind to how Mister Diluc’s doing?”
Before Venti could plead with their wind siblings to not do the prayer, their cheeky siblings did what was told, like always, making Venti huff a pout. “Oh, come on, let Diluc have some privacy. . .”
‘Bo-ring!’
“I am not,” Venti snorted, gulping down a shot. “Oh, well. Hey! Diluc!”
Diluc raised his head from the counter with a confused look. Venti lowered their voice and turned away from the breezy wind, “Donna’s listening.”
Diluc only let out a slow and loud sigh then just muttered, “So, that’s why it’s windy all of a sudden.”
Kaeya, who was visibly tipsy, let out a cackle, “Oh, now she’s back at you!”
“Shut up,” Diluc groaned. The redhead ignored the continuous laughs of Kaeya and turned back to Venti, “Could you do something about this?”
“Well,” Venti flicked the wind away, turning Donna’s prayer off. Their wind siblings shrieked in annoyance, but Venti didn’t mind them, amused. “I could, but my siblings think it’s too funny.”
“Siblings?” Diluc looked surprised. “You have siblings?”
“Family,” Venti softly answered. “Yes.”
Diluc must’ve seen the expression on their face, because he didn’t probe any further. Venti thanked him for that, and just ordered another round of drinks. Rosaria, Eula, and Dahlia would be arriving soon, and Venti promised that their free drinks would extend to their drinkmates—much to Diluc’s dismay.
“Oh, Lord Barbatos, please wind me a whisper,” Kaeya suddenly prayed with a huge grin on his face. Venti laughed outloud while Diluc looked like he was ready to bolt and run. “Kindly tell all of Mondstadt that Diluc’s free tomorrow afternoon!”
With a soft breeze, the message extended to the entire nation. Venti’s giggles echoed through the wind, and then simultaneous prayers began shooting up within them, yet it was numbed down with their glee for their children.
“Lord Barbatos—”
“—please wind me—”
“—a whisper, kindly—”
“—let me hear—”
“—Angel’s Share!”
Strong wind currents passed through the openings of the tavern, and Venti’s laughter became louder alongside Kaeya. Diluc’s reaction was the opposite, he looked ready to summon his claymore, “You—!”
The tavern doors barged open, the trio they were waiting for was there. Rosaria was the one who voiced out, “WindComm’s on?”
“I just heard someone say that another someone is free tomorrow afternoon,” Dahlia snorted, instantly hopping to the chair beside Venti.
“I can’t believe Lord Barbatos let it happen,” Eula mumbled to herself, sitting on the counter with Rosaria.
“Ah, Lord Barbatos is a funny god,” Kaeya waved a hand, dodging Diluc’s thrown balls of tissue. “They knew it’s an amusement.”
“How blasphemous, Kaeya.” Dahlia huffed. “Lord Barbatos is—”
“Oh, hush, it is a bit amusing.” Venti gently chided to Dahlia. “Now, then, children! Order up! Every drink is on me! Let’s give the people listening to us some entertainment!”
“‘On you’?” Rosaria chuckled. “We might bankrupt Mister Diluc.”
“As if,” Diluc sighed. “Just do whatever. Don’t be too rambunctious.”
“Heeey, don’t look at me like that!” Venti pouted, drinking their newly poured glass in one go before whipping to the people in the tavern. “Now! Does everyone—even those in the WindComm—want a song?”
The people all answered with fervor, and this just warmed Venti’s heart. This was what Mondstadt should be, happy and free.
Venti summoned their lyre, beginning their song. Prayers come every now and then, most likely knowing of their performance. Venti’s children sure were a supportive bunch. They love them so much.
People may say the Wind Communication system was because of Lord Barbatos, but Venti knew that the reason why it stayed was because of the people believing in them—in Venti, in Barbatos.
Flicking through time, Barbatos surely hoped nothing too chaotic would occur.
Yet knowing the people of Teyvat, chaos was inevitable.
This time, it was amusing. Barbatos agreed with their wind siblings.
𐔌 ﹒ ⋆ ˚₊‧꒰ა ꩜ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹
Zhuyu sighed as he waited for Draff, a hunter and a bit of a trader from Mondstadt, that he spoke to about a week ago regarding some herbs in Mondstadt that might help with his wife’s illness. It was getting stronger, and it worried him to the bone.
Their designated time was around noon, but Zhuyu knew Mondisch culture. He was by Stone Gate after all, the border of Liyue and Mondstadt. Mondisch were known to have their own time, dubbed as ‘Mondisch Time’. So, he strategically told Draff to meet by Stone Gate a bit earlier than noon so Draff would arrive by noon.
Yet, as Zhuyu could see, Draff was still not here. Seriously, those Mondisch. . .
It got a little bit after the thirty-minute mark that Zhuyu was beginning to get ticked off—but then a sudden burst of winds breezed on his direction, then—
“Mister Zhuyu! I’m – I’m near there! There’s—wah! There’s just some Hilichurls. . . !”
“What on earth—?!” Zhuyu nearly screamed. “Draff!?”
“Yes! I’ll be there! Lord Barbatos, please wind off!”
Just as the wind quickly entered, it also went away with the same speed, rendering Zhuyu confused with a cold trickle of awe and dread running up his spine.
‘Lord Barbatos?’ Zhuyu repeated, ‘that’s the Lord Barbatos? Wasn’t that god absent?’
Zhuyu may not be a master of history, but that was what he knew, but this event. . .
“Mister Zhuyu!” Draff’s voice halted the rush of his mind. “There you are! Terribly sorry!”
“What was that?” Zhuyu asked instead. “How did you—?”
“Oh, the WindComm?” Draff shrugged. “Yeah, after our recent Windblume, those became permanent!”
“What?” Zhuyu was so confused. “How. . . ?”
“Haven’t some of us Mondisch not let you see or experience the WindComm!?” Draff squawked. “Why, here let me! Lord Barbatos would be mad at us if we didn’t share their holy blessings!”
Zhuyu bit back a comment of their god being the renowned Absentee Archon. Before he could be more guilty about it, Draff turned away from him and slightly bowed his head, as if in prayer, then muttered loud enough for Zhuyu to hear, “Lord Barbatos, please wind me a whisper, let me hear my dearest daughter Diona at Cat’s Tail.”
A breeze of winds passed through them, making Zhuyu’s arm hairs stand up – this was not ordinary wind, he realized, this is Anemo.
Clinks and clanks from what Zhuyu could assume as glasses were heard from the wind, and Draff looked back at him with a grin, “See? Easy. You may as well try it on our next trade, friend!”
“B – But—?” Zhuyu felt lost, “how?”
“I assume you own a wind glider?” Draff asked. Zhuyu nodded. “Then you already believe in our Lord Barbatos then! Just pray those words, say your request, and the Lord Barbatos will grant it.”
Zhuyu felt his eyes go wide at that prospect. His heart thumped with excitement alongside anxiety, because the wind glider was one thing, a necessity in the whole of Teyvat, but this. . .
Oh, Zhuyu hoped the late Rex Lapis would forgive him. Zhuyu would offer loads of incense in their home altars later.
“Hey!” A high-pitched voice from the winds suddenly shouted. Draff jumped in surprise. “Dad!? What are you doing?! Don’t tell me you’re drinking again?!”
“Wait, no, dear!” Draff tried to appease. “I’m trading! I just demonstr—”
“Lord Barbatos, please wind off!”
“Diona!” Draff shouted, then wilted, his cat ears did the same. “Oh. . .”
Zhuyu cleared his throat, not much of an emotional support. “So. . .WindComm?”
“Hm? Oh, yes.” Draff responded, “Wind Communication.”
Interesting. Zhuyu concluded. With another bout of exchanged words with Draff, now about their trade, Zhuyu left their meeting place with narrowed eyebrows. A thought continued to plague his mind.
Halting his steps, Zhuyu looked around first. Stone Gate in this area was cleared. No Liyuen in sight.
Quietly clearing his throat, Zhuyu whispered, “Lord. . .Barbatos? Please, uhm, wind me a. . . what was it—? Oh, a whisper!” He continued, “Would you. . .let me hear my wife, Qinglian. . . ?”
Another sudden breeze caught Zhuyu off-guard, and when he heard the familiar sighs of his beloved wife, he knew the prayer worked.
It truly, and undoubtedly, worked.
“Oh,” he heard Qinglian, “where’s Zhuyu. . . ?”
At least she’s not coughing too much, Zhuyu sighed in relief before shutting his mouth. Oh, Rex Lapis on ground, how on earth would he turn this thing off!?
From what Zhuyu observed from Draff, the other person on the wind would still hear them. . .
Whatever, Zhuyu decided. “Lord Barbatos, please wind off.”
“Wha—!?”
He’ll explain this to his wife later.
𐔌 ﹒ ⋆ ˚₊‧꒰ა ꩜ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹
Kazuha found the whole thing. . .jarring.
He just caught wind of it from the Liyuen civilians, actually. Merchants ranting about the Mondisch people, their neighbor. Something about how their written reports and contracts (most probably) kept dwindling down and something about how it’s awfully, yet pleasantly, more windy in Liyue.
Also. . .Kazuha heard prayers. Not to Rex Lapis, rest in heavenly peace, but to Lord Barbatos.
He’s currently by the Harbor today, and the things he heard were the same thing. Mostly. Kazuha decided to just flit it away within his mind. They’re bound to Inazuma later, maybe Thoma would know something about this. He sort of got acquainted with the Mondstadtian guy after the events that occurred with the Raiden Shogun.
“I don’t even want to understand,” Beidou suddenly appeared beside him. She seemed to be muttering about something in line with the theme of his thoughts. “Liyue and Mondstadt would still have great relations, anyway.”
“Hm? What happened?” Kazuha asked.
“There’s this new thing goin’ on,” Beidou sighed, “and the Mondisch were practically using it everyday now. The ‘WindComm’, as they say.”
“WindComm?” Kazuha repeated. “Wind. . .Communication? We can ask Thoma.”
“I’m not even sure if Thoma knows. Inazuma’s still a bit hard to get into.” Beidou shrugged. “This WindComm just popped up around this month.”
“How does it go?” Kazuha was now curious. All he ever heard from this were prayers.
“Oh? Wanna try it?” Beidou grinned. “Well, I’m not even sure it’s blasphemy at this point. Let’s just light an incense and an offering for Rex Lapis later.” She cleared her throat, “Lord Barbatos, please wind me a whisper, would you let me hear Ningguang, the Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing?”
A smooth breeze was suddenly felt, making Kazuha alert—yet the wind felt. . . different. Conjoined hushes and voices were there, until the Tianquan’s voice was heard loud and clear.
“—with these papers. Also, the trade for—”
“Psh, business talk,” Beidou affectionately shook her head. “Lord Barbatos, please wind off.”
The breeze was gone, and Kazuha finally realized that he was smiling.
He’ll definitely tell Thoma about this.
𐔌 ﹒ ⋆ ˚₊‧꒰ა ꩜ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹
Thoma could not believe what he was hearing.
“Hey, Thoma,” that was unmistakably Kazuha’s voice, “would you say you’re Mondstadtian or Inazuman?”
“Kazuha!?” Thoma exclaimed in shock. “What – What is this!?”
“See? I told you.” The Crux fleet’s captain, Beidou, was heard as well. “They don’t know it yet.”
“Know what?” Thoma leaned on the wall. “How is this even happening?”
“Thank your god,” Beidou cackled then went silent, “wait. . .”
“I’m still a Mondisch or Mondstadtian or Mondstadter at heart, just as I am Inazuman.” Thoma reassured. “So?”
“Try turning to the side and when you see our ship, you’ll know.” Kazuha instructed.
Thoma’s eyes went wide at the knowledge that they’re back in Inazuma. He did exactly that, and when he saw, Thoma almost flew towards “Kazuha!”
Beidou waved them off as she went back to the ship. Kazuha jumped down, and with a small bit of Anemo, he gently landed to the ground.
“Lord Barbatos, please wind off.” Kazuha grinned. “This was a nice experience.”
“What was that?!” Thoma asked, a burn of homesickness was beginning to spread from his chest. “How. . . ?”
“How about we walk towards Watatsumi? I used the WindComm to talk to Goro as well.” Kazuha airily chuckled. “This is so efficient.”
“WindComm?” Thoma repeated yet began to walk with Kazuha as well. “What’s that?”
“Wind Communication. I heard it’s from, well, the Mondstadtians,” Kazuha explained, “I first heard of it from Liyuens. Then, I guess we can say I passed the knowledge to you and Goro.”
“How did this even happen. . . ?” Thoma found himself whispering. “It’s been so long ever since a single sign from Lord Barbatos. . .”
It had also been too long ever since he went back to Mondstadt, so on what grounds did Thoma even have the right to say something like that?
Pursing his lips, Thoma sighed through his nose, ready to change the subject, but Kazuha beat him to it.
“Do you want to try?” Kazuha smiled. “It’s easy.”
Thoma smiled back, “Anything Mondisch, I will gladly accept.”
Lord Barbatos, Thoma found himself thinking, I hope, in some way, you still think of me as one of yours.
The wind suddenly tickled his earlobe, but he didn’t notice that. After all, Thoma was preoccupied with the thought that he would most probably share this WindComm thing to Ayato and Ayaka too.
𐔌 ﹒ ⋆ ˚₊‧꒰ა ꩜ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹
Alhaitham’s eyebrows narrowed at the quivering person that Cyno just pointed his spear at.
“W – Wait! These really are just traded goods!” The man pleaded. “I swear to my god!”
“Behrouz said that no such goods were to be shipped,” Cyno’s spear was lowered, but there was still that guarded hold. “If these are new, then—”
“I have proof!” The man confidently said. Even puffing out his chest. “I can— Oh! I can let you hear!”
Hear? Alhaitham repeated in his mind. Not see?
“Huh,” Cyno was caught off-guard. “Hold on. . . Are you Mondisch?”
“Yes!” The man looked incredibly relieved. “But, but, hold on! I’ll still let you hear!” He cleared his throat, bowed his head down, tapped his forehead, left shoulder, right shoulder, then muttered, “Lord Barbatos, please wind me a whisper, let me hear, uhm, Angel’s Share?”
Alhaitham’s eyebrows shot up so high, Cyno glanced at him with the same understanding. The crate this young man was holding were full of glass, and if this man was letting them hear Angel’s Share—
A burst of winds – no, Anemo, breezed past them, and without a second further, chattering noise from the renowned tavern of Mondstadt was heard.
The young man thanked his god, then a giggle resounded with the wind. It sounded like it came from a teasing person, “Oh, Mister Diluc! Someone calls thee!”
“Venti!?” The young man shrieked, “Master Diluc!? Oh, winds. . .”
“What’s the matter?” Another voice came through the winds. This one was familiar. Alhaitham had seen this redheaded man in trading some few times ago. “Erd? What’s wrong?”
“Oh, I am so, so sorry, Master Diluc!” The young man, Erd, pleaded even if he couldn’t be seen. “I – I just arrived in Port Ormos! I got delayed because something happened on the way— We – We were attacked but it’s alright now! And, and. . .”
“Ah. You’re new and they don’t know you yet,” the Ragnvindr sighed. “Was the General Mahamatra there?”
“Uhm,” Erd glanced at Cyno, who was concealing his awe. Alhaitham unfortunately knew him, though.
Cyno discreetly coughed before letting his presence be known to the other side of the wind. “I am. No need to worry. This was only protocol,” then like a fool, added, “so this is WindComm? Very windy.”
Alhaitham was close to throw him off the port, but a melodious cackle resounded from the wind. This must be the Venti person Erd said earlier. Cyno was astounded (and shockingly, embarrassed) that someone laughed that hard at his hackneyed joke. Especially someone with a voice this pleasant.
“Oh, that’s. . . ! HAHAHA, you don’t say—! Pfft—HAHAHAHA!”
“Venti, it’s so ridiculous.” A woman said on the other side of the wind. Alhaitham thoroughly agreed.
“It is a bit funny.” Another young male’s voice was heard. Alhaitham disagreed.
“. . .Anyway,” the Ragnvindr shifted the conversation, thank the wise leaf amongst the soil. “Would that be all?”
Erd glanced at Cyno, who broke away from his shock and nodded—then realized that he wouldn’t be seen. Hence, he replied, “Yes. We thank you and apologize for this.”
Erd sighed in relief, rapping right away, “Lord Barbatos, please wind off. . .”
“Okie-dokie!” The Venti person cheekily replied, then the wind dispersed.
“You should go back to Behrouz,” Cyno went back to business. “Reintroduce yourself and tell him right away that you’re a new trader from Angel’s Share. I am sorry about this.”
“Yes! So sorry too!” Erd bowed at them both before carrying the crates again then rushed back to where Behrouz was. The man should be in his office during these times, so Erd would be just fine.
However, “WindComm?” Alhaitham finally asked.
“Collei told Tighnari and I about it,” Cyno began. Alhaitham almost groaned, Cyno would most probably yap about Tighnari more than Collei. “While I visited Tighnari at Gandharva Ville, Collei arrived from a field scan looking excited and giddy. Tighnari asked, and Collei said that the Mondisch started using WindComms, also known as Wind Communication, after their recent Windblume Festival where their Lord Barbatos blessed them with it. I haven’t seen it in actuality before tonight.”
“So, Lord Barbatos is. . .present,” Alhaitham surmised from that. That felt mildly comforting yet daunting. “WindComm does seem efficient. Does Lesser Lord Kusanali know of this?”
“I haven’t told her of it, yet. Would you?” Cyno probed.
“Don’t pass your duties to me. I should go home,” Alhaitham sighed. If he didn’t, Kaveh was sure to be angry with him now. He has teased the architect quite enough.
“Hey, I’m not the Acting Grand Sage,” Cyno huffed. “I need to go back to Gandharva Ville too. Pass the news to Collei, and let Tighnari know—”
“Who will be the one to relay this to Lesser Lord Kusanali then? If word spread regarding the WindComm then started using it, wouldn’t it be a bit,” Alhaitham paused, “blasphemous?”
“I’m not so sure about that,” Cyno hummed, putting a hand on his chin. “Tighnari told me that Collei said that Liyuens and Inazumans have been putting the WindComm to use ever since the last few weeks.”
“Frankly speaking, Rex Lapis is. . .dead,” Alhaitham mumbled. While his beliefs on the Archons were quite a muddy yet clearing line (due to Lesser Lord Kusanali), he would rather not be smited. “Liyuens and Mondisch people are closely related, either way. However. . .if the Raiden Shogun did not say anything. . .”
“We can’t really control the people of Sumeru who would use it,” Cyno shrugged. “But. . .I,” he bit his lip before continuing, “don’t want to accidentally hurt Nahida.”
That is true. Alhaitham agreed with that sentiment. Even though Nahida would understand the WindComm’s efficiency.
“So, you wouldn’t use it?” Alhaitham curiously asked.
“I would if Nahida’s okay with it,” Cyno shrugged. “I’m not stopping you, though.”
“I didn’t say anything,” Alhaitham sighed. “Has Collei used WindComm?”
Cyno opened his mouth, ready to answer, then realized something, “. . .oh.”
𐔌 ﹒ ⋆ ˚₊‧꒰ა ꩜ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹
Collei had been chewing her bottom lip for some time now.
Amber had been encouraging her to use WindComm for some time now, and tonight, in their nightly conversation, Collei was the one who was supposed to start the call.
She really didn’t want to disturb Amber whenever the older woman was busy, but Collei was reassured by her by setting a time—and that time was nearing. Unlike most Mondisch, Amber doesn’t do ‘Mondisch Time’. She’s an outrider and a knight of Favonius, after all.
However, it was not only a matter of inconveniencing Amber, it was also a matter of gods. While Collei stayed at Mondstadt for a short while, she was still from Sumeru, her home; and her god was Lesser Lord Kusanali, not Lord Barbatos. . .
But then again, the wind glider was not much of a difference, right? After all, one could never fly unless they believed in Lord Barbatos.
Would this be any different? Would Lesser Lord Kusanali be hurt? She hoped her god wouldn’t, she’ll pray a mantra to Lesser Lord Kusanali right after.
With an intake of breath, Collei shakily whispered, “Lord Barbatos, please wind me a whisper, let me talk to Amber?”
A soft breeze passed by, and then—
“Collei!” Amber’s cheery voice was heard from the wind. “I knew you could do it!”
“Amber!” Collei felt so happy. “Hello! How’s your day?”
Worries aside, talking with Amber every night completed every day of Collei’s life ever since the existence of this WindComm. Collei often found herself wishing it was night already in some cases. . . She wondered when she could visit Mondstadt again, but she still had duties in Sumeru that she didn’t want to leave behind.
“—these truly felt like a new era!” Amber went on. The night was becoming deep, and Collei suppressed a yawn. “I don’t know what I feel about not having to really write written reports, though. Jean said it’s still a must, but being concise is the most important format since we reported via WindComm, anyway!”
“That’s nice, I feel,” Collei chuckled. “I kind of wish WindComm would be fully available here.”
“Eh? It’s not? Liyuens and Inazumans use WindComm now,” Amber said. “Although most Liyuens kinda dislike it. They reeaally love written contracts.”
“Liyue and Mondstadt are opposites, like their Archons,” Collei meekly yawned, “so I think it’s understandable.”
“Oh, come on, you still don’t believe in my Grandpa’s stories? The Anemo Archon and the Geo Archon are close!” Amber defended, making Collei giggle. “I do wonder what Lord Barbatos felt when knowing that the late Rex Lapis had passed. . . Must’ve been so lonely.”
Collei felt a tug in her heart, both at Amber’s compassion and Lord Barbatos. While she remained impartial to that god, she could see how devout Mondstadt was for them, and that’s quite a huge thing. To believe in a god that was mostly absent to the point that their presence was not even felt. Now, that god was most probably back for a short while, with no other companion by their side like the late Rex Lapis. Collei. . .related to that situation in a way.
Yet, Collei couldn’t hold it in anymore, she loudly yawned, but cut it off, “—ah! Sorry, Amber, I didn’t mean to—!”
“Oh, Collei! Have I kept you up?” Collei could hear Amber’s panic. “I’m so, so sorry! We can talk tomorrow again! I can start the call!”
“It’s alright, Amber,” Collei softly laughed. “I love talking with you. Thank you so much. . .”
“No worries! You’re one of my dearest friends!” Amber exclaimed. “Now, go to bed, okay? Good night!”
“Good night,” Collei smiled warmly, “Lord Barbatos, please wind off.”
The wind tickled Collei’s frame, then it stilled to normal. Collei’s smile never abandoned her face, but then hurrying footsteps were loudly heard just outside her small abode.
“Cyno, I swear, if you wake Collei up, you take her shifts.” That’s Tighnari.
“I just want to check something. But if she’s asleep, then I’ll just ask next time—”
Collei opened the door with a confused expression. She’s not in pajamas, anyway. Additionally, her action sort of startled the two men. “Hello? Good evening! I’m. . .still not asleep. What’s wrong?”
Tighnari glanced at Cyno sternly, making the General Mahamatra swallow before asking, “Have you used WindComm recently?”
“Oh!” Oh no, “I – I just did! Was it not allowed?”
Cyno looked like he was ready to jump and fall down the tree her home was situated on. “Just now?”
“Yes!” Collei was the one panicking this time. “Is it— Was it—”
“Oh, Great Tree,” Cyno groaned. “How come I didn’t get here earlier. . . ?”
Now, Collei was confused, while Tighnari looked ready to just throw Cyno off the tree.
𐔌 ﹒ ⋆ ˚₊‧꒰ა ꩜ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹
Charlotte has a keen eye for juicy news. It was why she was accepted into The Steambird.
Her senses were great in the sense that Charlotte was very confident in the news she would bring to Teyvat. Right now, not much was happening within Fontaine, and her contacts in other nations weren’t saying anything much on their line. These types of events kept Charlotte fired up despite the lack of action anywhere. Oh, if only she could call the Traveler back. . . Maybe they know something veeeery interesting.
The latest gossip she heard was that Dvorak was back in Fontaine, singing songs at some parts of the Court of Fontaine with an audience. Maybe she’ll go there. Something might occur.
Whatever it was that Charlotte was expecting—it wasn’t as water-clearing as this.
“I might ask my contact in Liyue for a bit,” Dvorak mumbled to a Fontainian who seemed to have asked him a question earlier. “Don’t worry, don’t leave. Just stay there, hold on,” he cleared his throat. “Lord Barbatos, please wind me a whisper, kindly let me talk to Xinyan.”
Wind breezed through the location, but Charlotte didn’t mind. Her eyes were on Dvorak, who then began to state the question asked, but what boggled Charlotte’s mind further was—
“Oh, my guitar?” A girl’s voice was heard, loud and clear from the winds. The winds! “Well—”
Despite the winds in the area, Charlotte felt like she couldn’t breathe. She found herself trudging towards Dvorak, notebook in hand since she had already finished snapping via her kamera, but then Dvorak uttered, “Lord Barbatos, please wind off.”
The conversation already ended? Hold on!
“Wait!” Charlotte screamed at Dvorak, who got startled at her way of entrance. “Wait! Hold on a minute! How did you do that?!”
“Exactly. . . !” A Fontainian woman agreed. “What invention is that?”
Dvorak looked confused, “It’s not really an invention,” he stated, “it’s WindComm. Mondstadtians use it nowadays.”
“Mondstadtians could invent?” Charlotte ignored the merchant man.
The reporter focused on Dvorak’s story instead, pen in hand, “How long have they been using it?”
“I – I’m unsure,” Dvorak replied. “I first heard of it at Stone Gate. Then I saw a Liyuen use it, then the people there explained to me how it was done, so I tried using it.”
“What could you say about this WindComm?” Charlotte probed.
“Very efficient,” Dvorak nodded. “Environmental-friendly, too. Lord Barbatos sure is something else.”
“I thought Lord Barbatos was absent?” An audience asked. A crowd began to gather here again—more so than earlier.
“People say that god still is,” another shrugged. But Charlotte didn’t like his tone. “Quite useless, if I say so myself. Are you sure this invention is from Mondstadt?”
Charlotte’s positive this was a violation of an International Law, not to mention a bit blasphemous. Yet before she could interject, Dvorak huffed and let out an uncharacteristic glare. “Useless? Try using it then, kind sir. As Fontainians, we must be adaptive to marvelous changes such as these! It won’t muddy the waters we clean ourselves to, nor would it even make our environment stale.”
“As I said, this is not an invention,” Dvorak sighed, “but a symbol of faith. Just as we fanaticized justice in the past, just as Liyuens love their mora and contracts—this was the Mondstadtians’ way of showing love to their god: belief.”
Charlotte’s heart soared. Now this is a piece! She let herself carry on before any of those negative onlookers say a thing, “How does this work? I very much agree with you, Sir Dvorak! Like the element of our dear Lady Furina and Monsieur Neuvillette, we must adapt like the water to contemporary motions like waves—and if unjust, will rage like the sea!”
Dvorak grinned at her. Seemed like paying attention to some dramatic flair worked. The musician cleared his throat, “It is quite, easy, you see,” he sounded giddy. “Just utter the words I said, then a request. When turning it off, say the same thing as I did after I bid my goodbye to Xinyan.”
“Utter the words. . .” Charlotte repeated. “I’ll try!”
She ignored some reactions from the crowd and declared, “Lord Barbatos, please wind me a whisper, tell Madame Euphrasie that there’s juicy news in the court!”
Wind currents were suddenly felt from everywhere, then Charlotte heard Euphrasie’s familiar shriek of surprise.
Charlotte’s instincts were always right. Something did happen, and she did not regret going to Dvorak.
𐔌 ﹒ ⋆ ˚₊‧꒰ა ꩜ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹
Mtwa finally returned for a short while to Natlan to bring forth news.
As a whole, Natlanians were dispatched and free to roam the world of Teyvat now. It was a very exciting yet frightening prospect. Mtwa could say so himself. He ensured that his journey to Mondstadt would be safe, since he would be the first one to ever venture there for a thousand years—a clan did that one earlier than he did.
After the recent festival the nation had, Mtwa saw them using these WindComms, and once he experienced it for himself, he ensured to send this message back to Natlan in person. First, to his chief Mutota before their Archon Mavuika.
“Oh, Mtwa! Back from Mondstadt?” Mutota greeted with a small smile. “How was it? What have you gathered?”
“Great news! The Mondisch told me it’s cool to share and use!” Mtwa felt giddy with excitement. “‘Tis called the WindComms!”
Mutota blinked, obviously lost. “Wind. . .Comms?”
“Yeah!” Mtwa responded. “With a small prayer to Lord Barbatos, you can communicate with anyone anywhere!” He decided to demonstrate, “Like this. . . Wait, do you want to call anyone right now?”
“Hm,” Mutota thought, before snapping his fingers. “Ah! Try Chasca and Ifa. I do kinda need them right now.”
“Okay!” Mtwa smiled, “Lord Barbatos, please wind me a whisper, may we talk to Chasca and Ifa!”
Wind breezed past, startling Mutota, then the wind brought forth Ifa chattering on the other side of the wind while Chasca seemed to be sprinting.
Mtwa nodded in approval, it worked! So he called the two, “Ifa! Chasca!”
“Wha—?!”
“What the—?!”
“Sacred Flame,” Mutota whispered. “You weren’t kidding.”
“Why would I kid about this!?” Mtwa felt a bit slighted.
“What is this, bro. . . ?” Ifa asked from the other side of the wind.
“How is this even happening?” Chasca seconded. “Is that you, Ifa?”
“Yeah,” Ifa replied. “Er, was that Chief Mutota?”
“It – It is,” Mutota stammered before fixing himself. “Chasca. Ifa. Go back here. I would need to say something to you two.”
“Can I ask something?” Ifa relayed, “What on flames is this? Can I use it for medicinal purposes?”
“Same question, except for the medicinal purposes,” Chasca agreed. “Is this Anemo?”
“Come back here then you’ll know,” Mutota sighed, then turned to Mtwa. “Don’t leave, alright? And. . .turn this off now. Just go here, Chasca, Ifa!”
“Alright,” Mtwa let out a breath, “Lord Barbatos, please wind off.”
The wind dispersed and Mutota’s mouth was still ajar. “How the—? You know what,” he shrugged, “Teyvat is Teyvat.”
“This is a new thing. I’m quite surprised to know that the god who adopted a tribe of Natlan was present when I was there.” Mtwa conveyed, “It’s like Lord Barbatos knew or something.”
“. . .or something.” Mutota concluded for both of them. “From what I heard, that god’s the one that was known for being an Absent Archon. Probably misinformation. Like that Fontainian.”
Mtwa was confused, “What Fontainian?”
“Right, you were at Mondstadt,” Mutota scratched his head. “It’s a long story. Granny Itzli was involved as well as the Traveler,” he paused. “Maybe we can use that WindComm to ask her. . .”
“Er, disturbing Granny Itzli is something I would not like to do.” Mtwa backed away. “Especially since she still doesn’t know what WindComm is.”
“It’s just a joke,” Mutota snorted. “I would rather not do that as well.”
Mtwa only shook his head at his chief, ready to just let time pass while waiting for Chasca and Ifa, but then Mutota broke the silence. “Hey. Could that still be done if we used WindComm to send a message per tribe?”
Mtwa narrowed his eyes at that, then remembered the recent Windblume Festival he witnessed. “Well. . .”
𐔌 ﹒ ⋆ ˚₊‧꒰ა ꩜ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹
Felix loudly sighed as he sat down on a chair in the Fatui Headquarters’ Canteen. Some of his colleagues were already there, talking about something that would probably be related to their next designations. The famed Fatui life.
“I wonder how Oleg’s doing,” Baulande snorted. “I mean, isn’t he with Il Dottore?”
“He hasn’t written to me yet,” Viktor shrugged. “Probably busy. You know how the Harbingers are. Especially that one.”
“Speaking of writing,” Felix began his own piece. “I can’t believe they doubled up the report pages to twelve. Do they honestly think we can write that fast?”
“Actually,” Luke agreed. “I was already dying at six. Now it’s twelve.” He scoffed. “At this point, we should just incorporate WindComms.”
There was a sudden bump underneath the table with Luke hissing and glaring at Viktor, making Felix and Baulande suspicious.
Felix was the one who voiced it out, “WindComms?”
“A silly thing Mondisch people do,” Viktor shrugged.
“Hold on, I heard of that in Fontaine.” Baulande pointed. “That was real?”
“What’s WindComms?” Felix was beginning to get irritated.
“Wind Communication, dolt.” Luke sighed. “Basically anyone can just pray to Lord Barbatos with the words ‘wind me a whisper’, then a request, then the winds will give you a two-way communication right away.”
“‘Right away’?” Felix huffed. “Are you sure it’s not some invention?”
“We’re stationed at Mondstadt. It’s not just some invention,” Viktor sounded terse before his usual cool tone came back. “I heard that Mikhail and Lyudmila tried it once.”
“The gossip mongers?” Luke laughed. “What, they’re using WindComm to gossip too?”
“From what I know, yeah,” Viktor rolled his eyes. There was no chill to it, and Felix found it suspicious. “Their gossip knows no bounds.”
“Ugh, now I’m intrigued.” Baulande groaned. “Have you both tried it?”
Viktor and Luke suddenly had a guarded expression before Viktor smiled with a raised eyebrow, “That’s blasphemy.”
“As if Her Majesty cares about things like these,” Felix couldn’t help but spat.
“Still,” Viktor quietly uttered.
“Well,” Baulande drank from his cup, “if you three won’t, then I will.”
“What?” The three of them let out at the same time.
“How is it done?” Baulande didn’t mind their reactions. “Well? Viktor? Luke?”
“Eh,” Luke pursed his lips, “you say: Lord Barbatos. . .”
Baulande raised an eyebrow this time, “Lord Barbatos. . .”
“Please wind me a whisper,” Luke guided, “then say your request. Like who do you want to call or what area do you want to hear.”
Baulande looked like he wanted to cackle, “Please wind me a whisper, could we check Oleg?”
A burst of winds flitted through the canteen, shocking every single Fatui within the area. Felix felt himself feeling alert, dread, and at peace at the same time—boggling him.
Then Oleg’s grunts were heard from the wind, making Baulande grin, “Hey, Oleg.”
“What on crystal ice!?” Oleg shrieked from the other side of the wind. “What is this!?”
Luke and Viktor had their small little laughs while Baulande rolled his eyes, “Don’t die over there. If you do, make sure it’s filled with warmth.”
“Oh, I hope you freeze and die a slow and painful death with each frostbite eating—”
“How do you turn this off?” Baulande ignored Oleg’s threats.
Viktor muttered, “Lord Barbatos, please wind off.”
The wind stilled, and Felix felt the connection get broken right away.
Baulande let out a laugh. “Oh, this is so efficient! We should steal this from them!”
“Mondstadters don’t even mind,” Viktor said underneath his breath.
Felix did not care, “Do you think I can just use this WindComm thing to report to Sir Aleks regarding an arranged economic attack on Mondstadt and Liyue, just in case? Boris already passed a draft regarding the Inazuma and Sumeru counterparts.”
Viktor stared at him for what seemed to be a long while before shrugging, “Try it.”
Felix felt irked at Viktor’s personality. This guy wasn’t like this before.
Ignited with a need to prove Viktor wrong, in whatever thing this guy seemed to think, Felix haughtily commanded, “Lord Barbatos, please wind me whisper, let me report to Sir Aleks.”
Winds breezed past the canteen again—but Felix felt something different. The winds had a chill that was not the familiar Cryo that he knew. He decided to pay it no mind, waiting for the wind to send him a communicational way to Aleks. Then suddenly—
Felix felt the contents of each and every plate of the other three on his person. Most notably, Viktor’s soup was splat from his head alongside Luke’s wine. Through blinking eyes, he could see the way everyone’s mouth went ajar. Clearly not expecting what had happened.
The wind harshly made itself known further by pushing his head back, making him lean onto the chair before dispersing.
Crystal damning ice.
𐔌 ﹒ ⋆ ˚₊‧꒰ა ꩜ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹
Jean found the WindComm oddly comforting.
It was incredibly useful too. Not only as a communication tool, but as a security measure as well. Like what she was currently doing right now, about three months after the WindComm’s debut.
Jean prayed to Lord Barbatos to connect every corner of Mondstadt to the Grand Master’s office with an additional request of it being one-way. The connection hasn’t been broken yet, and with this, Jean felt like she and the Knights of Favonius would be all the more ready in certain scenarios.
Although sometimes, the outside chatter was getting a little distracting. Jean wondered if these were what Venti—Barbatos—always heard on a daily basis. If so, then her admiration and devotion to her god levelled higher. It would also make sense as to why her god loved wine. . .if it made an impact. Who was Jean to assume that chatter anywhere and everywhere would even bother her Lord Barbatos, anyway?
A knock resounded through the room. She replied right away, “Come in!”
Lisa entered with a smile, “We won’t be heard via WindComm, right?”
“Yes,” Jean chuckled, “I requested for it to be one-way. What’s the matter?”
“Nothing much,” Lisa laughed along. “I passed by Amber, you see. She was talking to Collei through WindComm.”
“That’s nice,” Jean nodded, waiting for Lisa to get to her point.
The librarian noticed, of course, because her smile went wider. “I heard an interesting thing from Cyno, who was also there.”
“The General Mahamatra,” Jean remembered. “Is something wrong? Do you. . .need to go back there?”
“Oh, no,” Lisa’s eyes turned soft, gently grazing Jean’s arm. “Nothing like that. It’s just about WindComm,” she paused, “its use is becoming too saturated.”
Jean blinked, motioning for Lisa to continue, which she did. “From what I’ve gathered, it seems that WindComm is becoming the next Mora and Wind Glider. An international use. There’s nothing wrong about that. However, WindComm uses our voices,” Lisa expanded, “meaning, if something went awry, it won’t be easily amended like the Mora and Wind Gliders.”
Jean pieced out the main worry, “All sorts of verbal fights could be done anonymously but harshly.” This counted defamation, slander, and libel.
Jean tried to hide a wince at that.
“Probably,” Lisa shrugged, leaning onto the table. “There’s an interesting thing about WindComm, though.”
“What is it?” Jean hummed while thinking, As expected of Lisa.
“I heard this from a Fatui,” Lisa whispered. “Looks like WindComm won’t be activated if the purpose is to physically hurt.”
“I’ll take that as a silver lining,” Jean breathed.
“It is quite a positive,” Lisa agreed. “Let’s just hope that—”
A sudden current of wind breezed through the office, halting Jean and Lisa’s conversation as a familiar voice resounded.
“Oh, Jeanie!”
“Ah— Miss Alice?” Jean found herself stammering. “Is there something wrong?”
“Where’s B—Venti? Oh, That g—guy needs a hearing from me! From us!”
Jean suddenly felt sorry and protective, but this was just Alice. “Have you tried using WindComm to—”
“I did! That bard is definitely hiding!” Alice loudly sighed. “Not to mention these winds hiding them! Unfair~!”
“I think Venti’s just at Angel’s Share,” Jean tried to appease.
“I already checked. Not there. Whatever, Jeanie,” Alice hummed, “if you see them, tell them I’m looking for them, okay? We are so going to talk about this WindComm!”
Yikes, was this about the Dodoco Communication Device? Jean filed that away and just responded, “Will do, Miss Alice.”
“Don’t worry, Jeanie. We love Venti too much to harm that little bard.”
Jean managed to choke out a small laugh, “I wasn’t, Miss Alice.”
“Oh, well! Good bye!” Alice bid, “Hmph. Lord Barbatos, please wind off!”
Winds from that connection with Alice were now dispersed, leaving Jean and Lisa a bit lost.
“. . .You were saying?” Jean went back to their earlier conversation.
“Let’s just hope things won’t get escalated to the worst,” Lisa finished.
Jean hoped so too.
𐔌 ﹒ ⋆ ˚₊‧꒰ა ꩜ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹
The Tsaritsa had been hearing a lot about the WindComm to the point that even The Jester, Pierro, came up to her about it.
“No need,” she replied to his query if they should make her people stop using it. “WindComm is not a new thing.”
Pierro looked unusually bewildered, “. . .pardon?”
“Wind Communication was something Barbatos had already set up for their fri—” The Tsaritsa stopped herself. Thankfully, Pierro couldn’t see her face from this angle. “. . .It has already existed before,” she settled instead. “Has there been any huge problems?”
“Nothing much—”
“Exactly. That god would stop it before a problem would turn for the worst,” the Tsaritsa harrumphed. “That’s just the way Barbatos is.”
Pierro said nothing to that, and she’s glad. The Tsaritsa would rather not talk about Barbatos, or Morax, or the past.
𐔌 ﹒ ⋆ ˚₊‧꒰ა ꩜ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹
Mavuika would rather let herself feel amused with the WindComm, if she were to be honest.
“—just be careful, Kachina,” Xilonen muttered to the breeze. Kachina was on the other side of it.
“Will be! I have Mualani and Kinich beside me!” The girl replied. “Will be reporting soon!”
“Good luck, Kachina, Mualani, and Kinich,” Mavuika bid them. “No need to stress yourselves out.”
“Yes!” The three resounded together.
“All right then,” Xilonen snorted. “Lord Barbatos, please wind off.”
The breeze that was becoming very familiar to Mavuika dispersed. A residue of Anemo tickled her skin, and she felt Hine, hearing her laughter—but she buried that right away before Xilonen or Citlali could see.
She supposed that the saying that the wind could carry elements across time was indeed true. The Traveler was right. This realization made Mavuika internally falter.
WindComm was very useful, efficient, and sustainable. Mavuika really didn’t mind the people of Natlan mumbling prayers to another god for communication. They do that with mora as well as the wind glider, anyways.
What Mavuika was just wasn’t a fan of was the wind bringing forth the past that Mavuika had already accepted. Or did she, really?
Additionally, there was that ugly thought of an ‘if’. If only WindComm existed earlier.
“Have you tried WindComm, Archon?” Xilonen shattered her thoughts.
“To be honest, no,” Mavuika laughed to cover herself. “I know the words, but. . .”
“You’re not sure if it would apply to you,” Citlali understood. “After all, you are still our Archon.”
“An Archon praying to another Archon – was that really unheard of?” Xilonen rhetorically pondered.
“I don’t remember much of my past life 500 years ago, if that was what you meant.” Mavuika snorted, “And I can’t really stop WindComm from being used. It is quite advantageous; not only to us.”
“True. It made proceedings and alliances with other nations easier,” Citlali nodded. Mavuika suddenly remembered how they dealt with Montluson with the Chief Justice of Fontaine. “Although. . . You haven’t spoken yet with the other Archons, right, Mavuika?”
“Not yet,” Mavuika shook her head. “From what the Traveler told me, Barbatos is awake, and that they’re also close friends with the other Archons. They also told me that the Raiden Shogun would like to have a spar with me!” She felt giddy with that. “Isn’t that exciting?”
“Just don’t break your bike and it will be exciting for me,” Xilonen playfully rolled her eyes. “So? Try using the WindComm to speak to the Raiden Shogun, then!”
“Wouldn’t that be a bit. . .impertinent?” Mavuika awkwardly waved.
“You’re both Archons. I hardly see the problem,” Citlali raised an eyebrow.
“She might be busy handling Inazuman affairs,” Mavuika tried to reason.
“You’re quite busy doing that with Natlan too. You two would hit it off,” Xilonen countered. “What? Don’t tell me you’re shy?”
“It’s not that!” Mavuika felt herself burning up. “Well, that’s someone older than me—”
“Hello?” Citlali pouted.
“Older than you too, Citlali,” Mavuika added. “Besides that, I don’t even know how to use WindComm for myself. Should I call the Anemo Archon ‘Lord’—?”
‘Youuu don’t have to,’ a pleasant melodic voice stopped her sentence, and Mavuika felt the hair on her arms rise with a warm chill that made her feel a variety of emotions.
It didn’t take for Mavuika to guess who that was.
The Traveler was right. Barbatos does have a beautiful voice.
Was Paimon sure that Barbatos was a wine-loving alcoholic? They certainly didn’t sound like it. Barbatos sounded so. . .
Xilonen and Citlali noticed her sudden silence. The artisan was the one who moved, “Mavuika?”
“Ah,” Mavuika shook herself. “I just remembered. The Raiden Shogun loves hot springs,” she said. “Let’s call Miss Mizuki instead.”
An unmistakable burst of winds blew within their location after that.
𐔌 ﹒ ⋆ ˚₊‧꒰ა ꩜ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹
Furina didn’t know what to feel whenever some Fontainians spout nonsense via the WindComm.
Just earlier, she witnessed a merchant yelling at someone over the WindComm. A gauche sight. Improper for mornings and for ethics. It didn’t take too long before Furina called over a garde and let them do their job.
Job. Weren’t things like these her job once, too?
Before she could remember her companion of 500 years, Escoffier laid a confectionate dish on the table. “Here it is, my Lady Furina!”
“Oh, thanks!” Furina happily squealed. “Are you sure this is on the house?”
“Very, my lady!” Escoffier reassured. “Miss Navia will also arrive soon! She notified me via WindComm!”
“WindComm,” Furina repeated. “It would seem that it’s being used a lot.”
“It’s an easy way to convey missives, my lady.” Escoffier commented, “Do you think of it badly?”
“Ah, no. Nothing like that,” Furina chuckled. She would know of someone that would probably think of it bad. “I know of WindComm’s benefits.”
“Why don’t you try utilizing it, then?” A familiar voice arrived: Navia. She quickly took the seat in front of Furina and put the box of macarons on the table. “Good day, Lady Furina.”
“Good day!” Furina’s eyes brightened up at the sweets. “Oh, your macarons are always a delight! What about Clorinde?”
“She’s here!” Navia laughed.
“I’m here,” Clorinde suddenly appeared, almost making Furina jump off of her seat. “Rest assured, Lady Furina.”
“Clorinde! You almost—! Nevermind,” Furina daintily shook her head. “Tea?”
“I’ve acquired Wriothesley’s,” Clorinde put down packs of the tea. “Thoroughly enjoy it, Lady Furina.”
“That’s a bit too much, but thank you for this!” Furina took one pack. With the knowledge of the brand being from the Duke, Furina instantly knew that this would be superb. “Join us too, Escoffier!”
“I still need to go back to the kitchen,” Escoffier giggled. “Just enjoy my food, Lady Furina!”
Furina simply gave her a small yet soft smile at that before the chef ran back. Navia grinned at her before discreetly clearing her throat, “Going back, Lady Furina,” she started. “Why don’t you try using WindComm?”
“Eh,” now this is awkward. Furina took a bite of her food. “I’m. . .not quite sure of its applicability for me. I won’t even have much use of it as well.”
“‘Applicability’?” Navia repeated, eating as well. “Oh, the wording.”
“Exactly,” Furina whispered.
“Maybe Lord Barbatos wouldn’t mind,” Clorinde offered her opinion. “Wasn’t there something you’d like to check to see how they were doing?”
“Clorinde. . . !” Furina pouted. How dare she tease her— er, former Archon?
“WindComm’s your perfect chance. It could also only be a one-way communication, after all.” Clorinde shrugged, “Just stating facts, Lady Furina.”
“Wait, really?” Furina’s eyes were wide at the prospect. “A one-way communication?”
“Yes,” Navia answered. “From what I heard from the Mondisch visiting us, you can also hear back on some recent events. Winds are a peculiar thing.”
“What!?” Furina shrieked before coughing then lowered her voice, “What? Really?!”
“We can try it now,” Clorinde gave her a smile. “Your verdict, Lady Furina.”
“Hmph,” Furina took a bite of Navia’s macaron, “by my exquisite judgment, with the one-way winds you spoke of, why don’t we try to hear what’s happening within Palais Mermonia?”
A powerful burst of winds suddenly breezed through the restaurant, startling the three women—Furina moreso. Then they heard the quiet chatter within the building of Palais Mermonia.
“—pass this to Monsieur Neuvillette.”
“Alright.”
“Lady Furina,” Clorinde called in awe. “You didn’t even need to. . .”
“Wha— How on—?” Furina stammered, “I – I didn’t need to—?”
‘Nooopee!’ A heavenly voice whispered to her by the tickling wind. ‘Enjoy!’
“Huh?!” Furina whipped her head. “Did – Did you hear that—?”
“Lady Furina?” Clorinde asked with concern. She looked ready to summon a gun. “Is there something the matter?”
“We didn’t hear anything except for the WindComm giving us Palais Mermonia,” Navia answered. “Should we report something? We can open up a two-way—”
“Ah, no, no, no! It’s fine,” Furina declined. She would rather not let Neuvillette hear her. It had been quite a time ever since they talked, and she didn’t want to stress him out. “I’m glad they’re doing well. I just hope the Iudex knows what a break is.”
Navia softly laughed at that while Clorinde hid a snort. Knowing her former guard, she most probably agreed to her.
“Well, enough of this, I suppose,” Furina mumbled, the wind dispersing right away. “Anything more interesting?”
“We can open up the Teyvat-wide WindComm, see what’s going on in various topics,” Navia suggested.
“There’s. . . ? A Teyvat-wide WindComm?” Furina felt her mouth agape.
“It’s the largest umbrella amongst collective WindComms. The Liyuen-Mondisch first used it to announce trade arrivals,” Navia informed. “We started to use it too. Very efficient.”
“It is! My, I hope the Iudex will learn how to use this too!” Furina giggled, then remembered. “On second thought. . .”
“Most Fontainians use WindComm for gossip though,” Clorinde provided. “Although, you never know what things were being said through that specific wind current. . .”
That piqued Furina’s interest, “How about we only listen to that gossip current, then?”
Winds flitted through their area once more, and not even a second after, various voices were heard to the three women.
“—but then, I heard that Sir André supposedly impregnated a maid then left her for scraps!”
“That is admonishable!”
“Poor lady! Wasn’t she a Mondstadter?”
“Exactly! If it weren’t for WindComm, I wouldn’t even be able to tell such events! Goodness! I am so glad I broke my engagement with him. Not to mention how he always prayed to the Fountain of Lucine for a baby.”
Furina’s eyes were wide as saucers with that information, “Well. Like our tea, it seemed like the gossip was just as hot.”
𐔌 ﹒ ⋆ ˚₊‧꒰ა ꩜ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹
Nahida giggled at the wispy wind framing her form.
WindComm became popular as expected in Sumeru. She didn’t mind her people using this model of communication. So she reassured Alhaitham and Cyno that it was just fine. Nahida loved the wind, if she would say so herself.
The wind accompanied her in her isolation, even when she was imprisoned—the very thing that the wind abhorred. Yet the wind stayed, humming her gentle lullabies for a sleep full of wonderful dreams of warmth. She remembered various beings with her in her past seen through dreams: a goddess with a flowery scent, a god with a warm smile, six gods congregating around a stone table with one of them as beautiful as the angels but could outrival a pirate with drinking wine.
Nahida liked to think her nation had a generally good relationship with Mondstadt. From tradings to (recently) art.
“Nahida,” Hat Guy—[Kintsugi]—called. His eyes were narrowed as always. “A proposal was submitted.”
“Hm? What was it?” Nahida curiously asked.
“A WindComm class modality,” Hat Guy sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “It was also petitioned. Alhaitham had surmised that about 92.6% of the scholars also approved of this so that even if they’re sick and unable to get out their house, they could still hear the lectures.”
“That’s genius,” Nahida applauded with a grin. “I’m alright with this!”
“Alright,” Hat Guy crossed his arms. That didn’t seem ‘right’. As much as Hat Guy said he’s not easy to read, he was easy to read.
“What’s wrong?” Nahida probed. “It’s okay. Just state what you’re concerned about.”
“Have you tried WindComm, Nahida?” Hat Guy asked instead.
Ah, “I,” Nahida tried her best to not bite her bottom lip, “I haven’t.”
Hat Guy seemed to sigh of relief. Now, Nahida was more intrigued. He cleared his throat, “Why? I thought using it was fine for you?”
“Oh, it is fine. I just haven’t used it,” she replied. “I. . .I don’t know how.”
Hat Guy’s eyes narrowed further, “You heard me use it.”
“Yes, but,” Nahida hesitated. She knew Hat Guy was smart enough to realize.
That he did. “Well, you’re an Archon, aren’t you?” Hat Guy shrugged, “Instead of asking, try commanding it.”
“Winds aren’t my domain,” Nahida reasoned. “I. . .might offend Lord Barbatos.”
‘You would never, little sprout.’
“Huh?” Nahida whipped around, trying to look for the source. That voice. . .
She knew that hypnotizing voice.
“What’s wrong?” Hat Guy looked ready to summon his weapon. “Nahida?”
‘Lord Barbatos. . . ?’ Nahida tried to call with her power. ‘Is – Is that—?’
‘Just try using it!’ Barbatos airily said. They were the wind, of course they would sound windy. ‘It’s alright. Try using Hat Guy’s advice.’
‘Are you sure?’ Nahida was ready to burst out in tears. This god and co-Archon she was speaking to was the one who intangibly stayed with hums and lullabies. This god was Barbatos. ‘I. . .’
‘Just try.’
“—hida? Nahida!” Hat Guy broke through her reverie. “Hey! What’s wrong? Is—”
“Calm down,” Nahida giggled, wiping her eyes. “I’m okay.” She straightened up, “I’ll try WindComm.”
Before Hat Guy could react further, Nahida lifted her head up and closed her eyes. “I want to hear what’s going on in the Grand Bazaar!”
Comforting winds was felt in the Sanctuary of Surasthana, then not even a second further, instrumental jams resounded through the sanctuary. This made Nahida’s heart warm.
Hat Guy seemed to somewhat relax, but he still seemed on edge. Nahida was about to ask, she didn’t want Hat Guy to leave here with a burden. However—
“Ugh, did you hear what they’re discussing on the Teyvat-wide WindComm Current again?”
“Teyvat-wide WindComm?” Nahida asked Hat Guy.
“Shut it down,” Hat Guy hissed. “Nahida, just – just shut it down!”
Nahida got more curious.
“Which one? Is someone fighting again?”
“There’s a new discussion about ‘Archon Rankings’.”
“Oh, that? Are they going to be ranking—”
“Nahida, shut it down!” Hat Guy seemed desperate.
His shout startled Nahida enough to do what he said, “Stop please.”
The winds dispersed, but a thread tickled Nahida’s cheek that made her softly smile—then she remembered Hat Guy. The smile left, and she looked at Hat Guy in worry, “[Kintsugi]? What’s wrong? You don’t need to protect me, you know that.”
Archon Ranking was what was said. So most probably, Hat Guy was worried about that. Nahida knew she would be ranked low, so what was the issue?
Hat Guy seemed to know what she was thinking and shook his head, “It’s not. . .that. Just don’t go to the Teyvat-wide WindComm. It’s nothing worth hearing.”
“You just made me more interested, you know,” Nahida giggled. “So either you tell me or I’ll just find it out for myself.”
Hat Guy groaned, muttering underneath his breath. He looked a bit funny that Nahida let out a laugh, “Okay. Let’s just file that away for later. Do you want to call Durin?”
Hat Guy blinked, then turned away, gaze softer than ever. He was always like this whenever it concerned Durin. “No need. I just talked to him. Let him. . .play.”
“Alright,” Nahida smiled, “Do you want to hear Durin?”
Hat Guy’s eyebrows shot up, understanding the difference, “. . .sure. Just nothing too private.”
“Okay!” Nahida nodded. “Please let us hear Durin!”
Winds entered the sanctuary again. This time, it brought Durin’s deep, yet chirpy voice alongside others. He truly seemed to be having fun in Mondstadt. Nahida wondered when he’ll come back here again after his last visit as a semi-human.
“—and this?”
“Oh, wait. Don’t touch that. . . .Venti told me not to let you drink that.”
Nahida perked up at that name. Hat Guy did the same too.
“Then I want to drink that!”
“No.”
“What is it then?”
“. . .Wine.”
“Oh, no,” Hat Guy palmed his whole face.
“What’s a wine?”
“Just don’t drink it. Only old people drink it.”
“I’m older than you! I’m going to drink this!”
Hat Guy seemed ready to just teleport away if he could, and this just made Nahida laugh again.
“If you do, I’m telling Venti.”
“They’re not my parent!”
𐔌 ﹒ ⋆ ˚₊‧꒰ა ꩜ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹
Ei’s eyebrows narrowed, “Teyvat-wide WindComm Current?”
“I thought you knew WindComm?” Miko sipped through her drink. “Didn’t this already exist years ago? You allowed it in Inazuma, after all.”
“Communicating through the winds was something my sister and the other Archons did before they met at Liyue, yes,” Ei replied, “but I don’t know of this ‘Teyvat-wide WindComm Current’.”
“Hm,” Miko had that familiar glint in her eye again. Ei didn’t know what to feel. “Have you used it?”
“I did. Once.” Ei glanced at the sakura petals outside the window. “When I had to ask Barbatos where my sister was.”
“Oh?” Now, Miko had an unusual curious expression. “I’ve never heard of this. What happened?”
Ei blinked, pursing her lips as she began to weigh whether or not she’d have to tell Miko about her sister’s rarely uncouth behavior. But this was Miko, so she decided, “Makoto and the other Archons got drunk.”
Miko spat her drink and coughed, startling Ei—she immediately handed the kitsune a napkin, but Miko was cackling in glee. “They – They got drunk!? Don’t tell me even Rex Lapis or the Belyi Tsar also got drunk?”
Ei remembered that night all too well. Barbatos was the only one sober (or tipsy) there. Morax was unmistakably clingy to Barbatos that night, while the Belyi Tsar was passed out on a nearby pond with Xbalanque. The other goddesses like her sister, Egeria and. . .the Dendro Archon, were also quite worse. One was puking while crying, and the other couldn’t even get up from her seat.
“Let’s just say that they all got inebriated,” Ei sighed. “I found this. . .WindComm helpful at that time. I was getting worried. That was the first Archon meeting that went deep into the night.”
“Barbatos sure is something else,” Miko chuckled.
“We would probably never get along,” Ei huffed a smile. “But they are something else. Their voice is quite pleasant to the ears.”
“Not just pleasant, Ei. That’s the God of Song and Music,” Miko snorted. “Even that new Hydro Archon, Focalors, had some inspiration from them.”
Ei had seen Focalors in the past, and she remembered the oceanid’s starry eyed stare, yet shy demeanor towards Barbatos. Like the Tsaritsa once. Those two seemed awfully starstruck at their first meetings with Barbatos. Ei could not relate. She remembered smelling wine, and although Barbatos’s scent was sweet and comforting, it was quite crude.
The doors suddenly slid open with Mizuki smiling at them, “The bath is ready.”
That got both Ei and Miko stand up, the latter grinning at the youkai. “I told you we could help.”
“I would rather not let customers help. You know that as a businesswoman,” Mizuki chuckled, guiding them to the dressing room. “Just enter once you’re ready. And – ah!” The youkai seemed to have remembered something. “The WindComm background in the bath is on the Teyvat-wide WindComm Current. Would you like to change it?”
“WindComm background?” Ei was confused again. Just how much did this WindComm change?
“Some customers love to have some background noise, and the Aisa Bathhouse decided to innovatively use the WindComm to let the customers hear some natural noise or anything they’d like with it,” Mizuki explained. “It was said to be very immersive. Our top backgrounds were the Teyvat-wide WindComm Current and some ocean waves.”
“Huh,” Ei was now incredibly intrigued. “The Teyvat-wide WindComm Current is fine with me. What about you, Miko?”
Miko already had a wide smile, “Whichever’s fine with you, Ei, is also fine with me.”
Mizuki only nodded at that, “Then I won’t be changing it now. However, if you would like something else, then— Oh,” she blinked specifically at Ei, “uhm.”
“What’s wrong?” Ei asked, ready to help.
“Well,” Mizuki tilted her head and averted her gaze. “I would normally just tell the customer to pray to Lord Barbatos to change the wind current to whatever they would want to hear instead. But you’re. . .”
“Ah,” Ei understood. “No need to fret. I know how to do it.”
“That’s a relief,” Mizuki exhaled a breath. “I wouldn’t want to offend.”
“You did not,” Ei reassured.
“Ehem,” Miko discreetly coughed. “I think it’s time for a bath.”
Mizuki’s eyebrows shot up and smiled at both of them with a bow, “Right. I am so sorry for keeping you. Enjoy your time here and relax!”
“Thank you,” Ei hummed. Mizuki left the room, leaving just Ei and Miko again. “What would we be hearing in this Teyvat-wide WindComm Current?”
Miko only grinned at her, “I suppose we’ll just hear later, Ei.”
Ei tried her best not to make a face at that. It didn’t take too long for the two of them to shed their clothes and finally enter the bath. Ei immediately noted the muted murmurs from the wind breezing through the room. These murmurs seemed to be “from the people?”
“Teyvat-wide, Ei,” Miko lightly laughed as she took a seat in the bath. “Of course, it’s mostly from the people. One of my employees said that this specific current could be named as ‘Teyvat Ambience’.”
“Hm,” Ei could see why. While she would normally prefer quiet, if it was something like this, maybe she could use it while she’s tinkering on the Shogun Puppet.
“But just hearing muted noise is a bit boring, Ei,” Miko pouted. “How about we hear some juicy gossip?”
Ei sighed, “This is why you and Barbatos get along,” she shook her head before lifting her head. “Kindly let us hear what Miko wanted to hear.”
The winds breezing within the room suddenly rotated, cooling the air before it became a constant motion of flitting through the room. This time, the vague murmurs became clear, and Ei concentrated as she listened to the people.
“—I’m telling you, seeing them battle would be an awesome thing to witness!” This one didn’t sound like an Inazuman. Judging by their accent. . .they may be from Natlan. Who were they talking about?
“I’ve seen the Raiden Shogun battle the Traveler—” Quite a lie. Ei battled with the Traveler within the Plane of Euthymia, not in public. “—she just slashed him in one go. Do you think your Archon would stand a chance?”
Ei was definitely captivated. This was like seeing some comprehensive comments about a light novel’s characters. Additionally, were they talking about Mavuika? The current Pyro Archon?
“Our Archon battled with Il Capitano!”
“Our Archon killed La Signora!”
“Hold on, wasn’t that just a rumor?” That’s a mew voice.
“Who cares? We’re rooting for our Archon, anyway.” A new voice as well. “Even if she did some. . . stuff to our nation”
Ei blinked, filing the last comment away for later, were they fighting over which Archon—her or Mavuika—would. . .defeat the other?
“I have the same thoughts,” Ei couldn’t stop herself. “I told the Traveler about this, but I want to spar with the Pyro Archon.”
“Well, what’s stopping you?” Miko laughed, “She’s just one WindComm away. Maybe you two could fight at that renowned stadium in Natlan.”
“Perhaps,” Ei felt excited at that. “This WindComm is very helpful.”
Miko’s expression changed. It took her a few seconds to speak out her mind, “Even with certain comments?”
Ei looked away from her, immediately knowing what Miko meant.
“Your Archon isolated you!”
“Hey, you guys were isolated too!”
“We needed to be!”
“Oh, if only I could see you—”
“I believe this is essential to Eternity,” Ei relayed. “Hearing the people, my subjects. . . I believe that’s what my sister would want as well.” She continued, “I also think that Barbatos would halt some activities with the WindComm if an issue got severe. Like the Shogun Puppet and I.”
Ei sighed, letting out the only thing that had been bugging her mind ever since the conversation about the WindComm, “If only this could be engineered.”
Miko snorted at that.
𐔌 ﹒ ⋆ ˚₊‧꒰ა ꩜ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹
Xiao found the WindComm thing helpful yet jarring.
Winds were not a stranger to him, moreso since his element was Anemo. If Xiao would let himself venture further, the Archon presiding over Anemo itself was quite familiar to him in the same way that Rex Lapis was.
Winds were not a mere feeling to Xiao, but it was also a healing melody that he could never forget thanks to Lord Barbatos.
Wangshu Inn had a wind current that let them hear the Teyvat-wide WindComm Current. When Xiao first heard of it, it was an annoyance, but WindComm itself was proving more useful especially when he prayed for the winds to always let him hear anyone in need or monsters that needed to perish that Xiao couldn’t hear right away with his abilities. To make it short: WindComm was efficient for Xiao.
However, WindComm was also the reason why Xiao was with the other adepti right now. Except for Rex Lapis, that is. Still playing mortal like Lord Barbatos.
. . .Xiao suddenly realized that he should not think of that amidst the other adepti. Ganyu, who was beside him, probably felt out of place like he did.
“This one thinks that WindComm could be engineered,” Xianyun, or Cloud Retainer, sighed. “But the winds’ power is something else. Especially with that Lord Barbatos’s blessing.”
“You still speak of Lord Barbatos like that? My, Xianyun, don’t let yourself get used to being so in public,” Ping, or Streetward Rambler, chuckled. “Mondstadters and civilians were one thing, but if Zhongli heard you. . .”
“I did not mean any dud,” Xianyun rolled her eyes. “Lord Barbatos is one powerful god, but no one will be as high as our dear Rex Lapis.”
“You mean late Rex Lapis,” Houzhang, Moon Carver, snorted. “Our Rex Lapis is dead, remember?”
“Hush, you,” Jiehu, Mountain Shaper, hit Houzhang’s head with a cup. “How about we incorporate Ganyu and Xiao into this? What do you think of this WindComm?”
“It’s,” Ganyu startled before calming herself, “It’s incredibly effective.”
Everyone turned to Xiao this time, so he decided to quickly answer. “It’s useful.”
“That indeed,” Ping agreed. “Not only for business, but also gossip. WindComm helps our saying: the walls have ears.”
“Ping,” Xianyun chided. “Gossiping is unrefined.”
“But interesting,” Ping cheekily smiled. “Shall we do it? The Teyvat-wide WindComm Current has the most interesting things.”
“Teyvat-wide,” Xianyun gasped. “This WindComm surely made its impact.”
“I am in for listening,” Houzhang took a bite of a dumpling. “Where is our Lord Zhongli these days?”
“Most probably listening to stories about him in Third-Round Knockout,” Ping hummed as she sipped from her tea. “Have you seen him these days during your weekly walks, Ganyu?”
“Rex – I mean, the last time I saw Mister Zhongli, he was indeed in the Third-Round Knockout,” Ganyu responded. “Although, from what I heard from Keqing, he seemed to be,” she hesitated, “passionately arguing about something nowadays.”
That raised everyone’s eyebrows. Xiao blinked, Rex Lapis? Passionately arguing?
“Through the WindComm?” Jiehu asked.
“That is impossible,” Xianyun frowned, “Rex Lapis – I mean, Zhongli can’t use the WindComm.”
“Then someone probably opened that WindComm,” Ping assumed. “Probably a member of the discussion groups Zhongli joins himself on.”
“I have an inkling as to what he’s arguing about,” Houzhang smirked. “Listening to the Teyvat-wide WindComm Current was a good idea.”
Xiao noticed that Xianyun didn’t think so due to her huff, “It’s just mortals committing blasphemy.”
“I could hardly call that blasphemy. It’s just amusing, Xianyun, dear,” Ping tried to appease. “So? How about we just hear what Zhongli’s doing then?”
Xianyun recoiled, “You mean eavesdrop on him?”
“If it’s too private, the WindComm won’t connect, anyways. Come on, Xianyun, you’ve used this before.” Ping shook her head. “Well, let’s see. . . Lord Barbatos, please wind me a whisper, let us hear but not call on where Zhongli is.”
Familiar winds breezed throughout the mountain the adepti were on. Xiao let the wind frame him as a flurry of voices that seemed to be loudly discussing a topic was heard. Seemed like Rex Lapis was still in Third-Round Knockout.
“—and I’m telling you, this Mondisch-Liyue alliance never existed in the first place!”
“If that’s so, then how come our relationship with the Mondisch runs deep? Have you read our history with them? We celebrated every ‘firsts’ with our neighboring nations, and the first time a Liyuen citizen married a Mondstadtian, we enacted an entire week for them!”
“Rex Lapis only allied himself with the strong. Liyue only had a relationship with Mondstadt after the Archon War! To add, it’s common knowledge that Mondstadt’s god is but a weak one.”
“Weak?” Xiao stilled at Zhongli’s sudden voice amidst the discussion. He could see through his peripheral vision that the other adepti stopped their tracks as well. “Mondstadt’s Archon was never weak.”
“. . .Finally, Mister Zhongli! Kindly enlighten us with your knowledge. Do you think Liyue and Mondstadt’s relationship runs even before the Archon War ended, and do you think it’s beneficial for Liyue to have close ties with them? I personally think it’s just a waste for Liyue’s potential, when we could—”
“Liyue and Mondstadt’s relationship ran before the Archon War. There were several adeptal accounts regarding Mondstadt’s Archon and Rex Lapis having great. . .relations to one another.” Zhongli uncharacteristically cut off the man. Xiao believed the act was a good thing. “Liyue’s ties with Mondstadt not only profited Liyue economically, but also culturally. While we had arts of our own, Mondstadt’s culture influencing Liyue also had a hand in properly conserving our own arts. Most especially, oral traditions. Not to mention this Wind Communication that we’re using made us more productive. So I do not understand why you think these advantages are a waste. I am done answering.”
Ganyu squirmed in her seat. Xiao wanted to just leap and leave. Rex Lapis’s tone was quite eerily similar to the Rex Lapis of the Archon War, and Xiao felt like Rex Lapis was one argument away from commanding him to battle. But these thoughts were quite ridiculous, Xiao realized.
Ping suddenly laughed, “Oh, dear. This is interesting.”
Xiao felt like only Streetward Rambler thought of that. This made him wonder if Rex Lapis has heard the comments mortals say in the Teyvat-wide WindComm Current.
Hopefully not. It was a bit abhorrent.
𐔌 ﹒ ⋆ ˚₊‧꒰ა ꩜ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹
𐔌 ﹒ ⋆ ˚₊‧꒰ა ꩜ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹
𐔌 ﹒ ⋆ ˚₊‧꒰ა ꩜ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹
The Traveler internally felt relieved of having to return back to Mondstadt after staying in Nod-Krai. By the stars, were they so tired.
“Paimon feels like she could finally breathe,” Paimon commented beside them. “Paimon wonders about what that old Varka meant though. Like, ‘get ready to laugh’?”
True, the Traveler hummed. Varka and the others stayed behind but said to catch up back in Mondstadt in a bit while telling them and Paimon some cryptic teaser as they went back in Mondstadt. Whatever it was, the Traveler just wished it wasn’t something dire.
“Maybe Venti did something,” the Traveler replied instead. Venti was always the core reason for something happening somewhat in some way.
“Ugh, that Tone-Deaf Bard!” Paimon pouted. “Let’s just hurry on!”
The Traveler nodded, trudging fastly as they walked. They’ve been noticing something recently, especially after teleporting out of Nod-Krai. Teyvat’s very windy for some reason. But maybe it was just because it’s Mondstadt?
The Traveler and Paimon finally entered the city and the wind felt more apparent. Not to mention the citizens seeming to be in loud conversations for some reason? It wasn’t the normal ones either.
Finally, the Traveler spotted that familiar green cape and cute face—however, that same face was a bit scrunched up with the bard’s eyebrows narrowed for some reason.
Nevertheless, Paimon shouted, “Tone-Deaf Bard!”
Venti swivelled to them, as if they already knew that the Traveler and Paimon were there already. The bard gave them a grin, “Traveler! Paimon! Nice seeing you here again!”
“You too!” The Traveler smiled back. “How are you?”
“Eh, you know,” Venti waved their hands. “Just being here and there. Anyways, how about you?” They deflected, “Have you been resting from time to time? I know Varka’s quite a workaholic despite his attitude and demeanor, but you don’t need to catch up to that guy.”
The Traveler snorted, but felt comforted. “You’re right. But don’t worry, we’re fine.”
“Paimon’s not! Paimon didn’t think that old Varka would be annoying Paimon too much!” Paimon stomped her feet in the air.
Venti laughed, “I knew you two would be friends.”
“Not funny, Tone-Deaf Bard! You must’ve made that Varka annoy Paimon!” The fairy whined.
Venti cackled, about to reply back, but the trio’s attention turned to the nearby group of women who suddenly spoke loud.
“So, did you hear?” One of them started.
“What did I not hear?” The other cheekily said. “I let the current run all night until this afternoon.”
“What!? You’re so obsessed. . .”
The Traveler felt their eyebrows furrowing at that as they turned to Venti, “What happened?”
“Well,” Venti sighed, the subtle narrowing of their eyebrows was apparent again. “The WindComm was what happened.”
“WindComm?” The Traveler and Paimon repeated before the latter continued, “Ohhh! That thing you did during the last Windblume!”
“Yeah, when you almost outed me,” Venti exhaled. Their tone wasn’t teasing, but clear. The Traveler felt another wave of familiarity with Venti’s attitude beyond the bard persona.
“Did something. . .more happened?” The Traveler probed, Varka’s message still on their mind. Plus, Venti seemed preoccupied earlier before they were greeted.
Venti stared at the Traveler, “Are you sure you want to know? Wait,” they let out another breath, “you might need this thing. . . Oh, alright.” Venti flicked their hand, making the breezing wind flow more, “I’ll let you hear what’s going on right now.”
The Traveler heard an onslaught of voices with the winds before it became clear to their ears.
“Your opinion is not valid, you don’t even know your own god!”
“Hey, hey. At least we didn’t betray our god!”
“Betray!? What on the great tree are you even talking about!?”
“This still doesn’t change that Rex Lapis remained the very best in his criteria!”
“People, what’s the best dinner for today?”
“Was it just me that hates mora for existing?”
“Chat, I hate inflation. What about you guys?”
“Psh, not the Church of Favonius trying to be relevant right now.”
“Have you seen the new Steambird newspaper recently?”
“For today’s lecture, we shall talk about our recent history of—”
“Mondstadtians are fucking lazy for even doing this WindComm!”
“Why are you using it then!?”
“Raiden Shogun would defeat your gods!”
“Who said that?!”
“Kindly tell Lady Furina that her bedroom in Palais—”
“Bro, I’m so tired—”
“The wind became extremely buzzing—”
“I’m so done hearing many people fighting in—”
“I heard even the Fatui Harbingers—”
“—asshole—”
The winds suddenly left the Traveler’s ears, and they could feel Paimon holding onto their arm. Venti held them both all the while, worried turquoise eyes gazing at the two of them, “I’m sorry. Are the both of you alright?”
“What – What was that!?” Paimon shrieked. “Paimon thought that WindComm was only a one time thing!”
“The power of belief is a beautiful thing,” Venti softly laughed. The Traveler couldn’t ensure if it was real, though. “WindComm levelled up basically. The currents you heard were mostly from the Teyvat-wide WindComm Current. However. . . I might have to intervene soon.”
“Woah!” Paimon gasped. “You – You mean. . . ?”
“Intervene as,” the Traveler mouthed the next, ‘Barbatos?’
“Oh, no,” Venti snorted. “I have my sweet herald of a child to do that for me.”
“There you go being lazy again,” Paimon crossed her arms.
“The words are from me, Paimon,” Venti put their hands on their hips. “Dahlia would be more than glad to do that, too!”
Quite true, the Traveler agreed. “Have you spoken to Dahlia about this?”
“I’m about to. Wanna come with? You don’t need to do anything,” Venti invited. “It’s nearing evening, anyway. We can eat at the tavern right after! My treat!”
“Are you sure it’s your treat?” Paimon teased. “If so, Paimon and the Traveler will go!”
“I’ll go even if you won’t treat us,” the Traveler smiled. “Let’s go, Paimon.”
“What. . . !” Paimon groaned. “Aw.”
“I would really treat you,” Venti shook their head with an amused smile as the three of them started to walk. “Then you can rest right after. I know you’re tired.”
“You’re the best, Venti,” the Traveler gave the bard a quick side hug.
Venti winked at them for that, “Oh, I know.”
“Geez, you’re letting Tone-Deaf Bard win you over?” Paimon shook her head. “Paimon doesn’t understand why many people like you.”
“It’s because I am soooo cute!” Venti exclaimed.
True, “Whatever you say, Venti,” the Traveler said instead.
“You break my heart,” Venti rolled their eyes.
“Let’s just go to the cathedral already!” Paimon harrumphed. Venti and the Traveler only let out a laugh at her exasperation. Typical Paimon.
When they did arrive at the cathedral, Venti was immediately snatched away to the side by Jean and Kaeya—startling the Traveler, Paimon, and even Venti themself.
“Hey! What the—?” Paimon shrieked.
The Traveler ignored Paimon’s questions for the meanwhile and scanned the cathedral. The sisters and the believers seemed to be furious at something, judging by their expressions with deep frowns. At the other end of the side of the cathedral was Dahlia, whose expression was like the others, and was evidently worse.
What happened. . . ?
The Traveler’s inner question was answered when they realized the winds they felt inside the cathedral alongside the ongoing conversation through the WindComm.
“—plus, what else did your god even do?” A Sumerian person asked from the other side of the wind. “I have about 73% of literature to prove that your god’s just a mere legend, and you’re truly a godless nation.”
“Lord Barbatos does exist,” Barbara—the Traveler felt surprised to see her here—replied. She looked oddly frustrated and pissed. “The WindComm and this specific Teyvat-wide WindComm Current that we’re using was proof of that.”
“Nobody ever saw Barbatos, though,” A Liyuen said. “So what proof do you have?”
“Who’s to say that this might just be engineered?” A Fontainian added.
“What the. . . Why are they ganging up on the Tone-Deaf Bard?!” Paimon shrieked. The Traveler motioned for her to quiet down. The wind might pick up on her voice throughout Teyvat.
“While it is true that our Lord Barbatos hasn’t been seen in centuries,” Dahlia responded to the continuing questions. “Lord Barbatos was notably seen during our nation’s fight against the dragon in Dragonspine half a millenia ago. Not to mention Lady Vennessa’s rebellion against the aristocrats—”
“See, this is why your so-called ‘god’ failed.” Another Fontainian piped up. The Traveler wanted to teleport and take a hit on these people. “Letting you guys run around feigning honor and whatnot. Serves you right to have had aristocrats.”
“What on—?” The Traveler felt their head reeling. What was this!?
“That same aristocracy was toppled. I might also have to inform you that our Archon’s ideal was Freedom. It made sense as to why our Lord Barbatos let us be. It is our fault why we failed. Not Lord Barbatos,” Dahlia almost spat. He sounded a bit like Jean, if the Traveler had to be honest. Because of the way he defended Venti. “Our Lord Barbatos always ensured for our freedom as well as its security to the nation. It was why we had close relations with other nations for the past two millenia!”
“Hm, that’s quite true,” an old sounding Liyuen man agreed. “Mondstadt and Liyue do have great relations with one another.”
“This still doesn’t make your Archon rank high. Who’s even afraid of the winds?” Someone mockingly said. “You can’t even see them! Like your own absent god!”
“Lord Barbatos may be ‘absent’, but at least they let us truly experience their ideal of freedom,” Dahlia gritted. The Traveler winced, this wasn’t looking too good. “That form of quote-unquote rule was the epitome of benevolence and grace!”
“Grace? Ha!” A new Fontainian male jeered loud through the WindComm. “ Your god dresses like some degenerate whore!”
The Traveler’s jaw dropped at the defamation. They could also hear several similar reactions from the winds itself as well as the currents bringing forth others’ voices through the WindComm. A wind thread even gasped with a chime.
Dahlia was not amused. His entire form was shaking in anger, and the Traveler never saw so much red in someone other than him as the deacon shouted through the WindComm, “EXCUSE ME? MIGHT I HAVE YOU—”
“Uh,” Paimon was speechless for once while Dahlia went on a tirade that made every single person in the cathedral—and possibly Mondstadt—assist him in defending Venti. “Maybe we should leave. . .”
“If we’re talking about baring clothing, why don’t we discuss Rex Lapis, then!?” That sounded like a Mondstadter.
“Don’t bring Rex Lapis into this!” Ganyu!?
“Thank the Heavens our Archon doesn’t dress like that. . .”
“Shut up!”
“You shut up!”
“No, no, no! Bring Rex Lapis into this, they have a point!” The Traveler didn’t know how to react to this one.
“You’re committing blasphemy, Hu Tao!” Poor Chongyun.
“How do you know what’s graceful or not, huh?!”
“It’s my opinion!”
“Chat, this is a bit ridiculous. Humans will win.”
“Whoever you are, I hope you stub your toe!”
“I said what I said about the statue!”
“You don’t even go here in Liyue!”
“Not about Rex Lapis!”
“Would. For both.”
“Who’s that!?”
“We’re getting waaaay over the line of Archon Rank! The Tsaritsa remains on top!”
“Childe? Is that you!?”
“What the fuck? Knave? I thought you said—”
“On the Abyssal Sea she is! Have you seen the Raiden Shogun!?”
“Shut up!”
“Lady Focalors should just send the fucking flood AGAIN!”
“DON’T YOU DARE SAY THAT!”
“You don’t even have a dad!”
“DO NOT USE AD HOMINEM IN REASONING—”
The Traveler shook themself out of reverie as the voices of the winds continued to become louder and more concentrated. More people are speaking over one another, and even if some of them were voices the Traveler knew, they don’t even have the energy to digest everything in one go. This was chaos.
Also, the people were talking about Archon Rankings? Why lower Venti down to the point of slandering their appear—
“Schnucki,” Venti grabbed the Traveler and Paimon, the latter squealing in surprise. Venti looked like they were wincing. “Let’s go.”
The Traveler didn’t need to ask, they immediately followed Venti out of the cathedral with screaming believers, and before they could even fully exit, the Traveler heard more messages through the wind currents.
“I don’t have all night for this!”
“I hope the Raiden Shogun’s lightning bolt taze you!”
“I will jump you! I’m being serious, I will jump you!”
“FEELING FROGGY? LEAP,” Dahlia’s scowl resounded throughout the cathedral.
“Deacon Dahlia!” Barbara shrieked.
“Let him be,” Rosaria sounded so tired. Just how long has this been going on?
Venti slammed the doors of the cathedral close, and the Traveler and Paimon let themselves be dragged by the bard.
Throughout their way, the Traveler could still even hear the arguing voices through the winds. They don’t know how to react to the things they were hearing, but looking at Venti’s expression, the Anemo Archon seemed to be. . .amused? The Traveler wasn’t sure.
They finally arrived in Angel’s Share, and an exhausted looking Diluc greeted them, the winds still howling, exchanging words and languages. The Ragnvindr blinked at their entry, most particularly Venti, “. . .Welcome.”
“I’ll buy them dinner, Mister Diluc!” Venti sat at their seat on the bar. “And a bottle for me!”
Diluc only responded with a nod, and the Traveler couldn’t help but notice that even the Teyvat-wide WindComm Current was also resounding in the tavern. There were also people within the tavern that were arguing in person and through the WindComm about the same topic as earlier.
However, Stanley’s voice was loud, very loud. He looked ready to jump at whoever he was arguing against. “I AM TELLING YOU. GIVE ME YOUR LOCATION, AND I’LL SHOW YOU PROOF!”
“You Mondstadters! Always bragging about the ‘magnificence’ of your Archon when in truth y’all are DELUSIONAL!”
“I’LL SHOW YOU DELUSIONAL!” Stanley yelled.
Venti, who the Traveler sat beside, lightly groaned and massaged their forehead. Charles set their orders down in front of them at the same time.
“Hey, Tone-Deaf Bard,” Paimon finally talked. “You can just shut this WindComm thing—”
“Paimon,” Venti hissed and motioned for the fairy to turn away from the direction where the wind was constantly flowing.
“Oh! Sorry,” Paimon whispered and did what Venti did. “Uhm, you can just shut this WindComm thing off, right?”
The Traveler thought the same, so they waited for Venti’s answer.
The bard gave them both a soft smile, but before Venti could say anything, winds suddenly breezed through their area, and a familiar voice resounded to them.
“I gather that there’s no bar fight yet?” Kaeya asked, his voice sounded light, but Kaeya also seemed to be on guard.
“No,” Diluc answered. “Should something happen, we will act accordingly. I take it the knights are there?”
“Er,” a knight answered. This sounded like Note, if the Traveler remembered correctly. “All of the knights are currently meeting. We just. . .asked communal places if something bad occurred already. Sorry, Sir Diluc.”
“Unnecessary,” Diluc sighed. “Just know that this could be heard throughout Mondstadt.”
Venti let out a laugh at that, and the Traveler’s eyes went wide when they realized that Diluc was saying the truth. It was very windy in the tavern, but to think that so many WindComms were inside here?
Kaeya also cackled with that while the other knights let out a squawk of indignation—even Paimon. The various reactions halted when Jean’s voice was heard, “That will be all, Sir Diluc. Thank you.”
“Oh, well,” Kaeya snorted, “Lord Barbatos, please wind this current off. Goodbye and good night, eavesdroppers!”
Diluc rolled his eyes at that, but Venti still had an expression of mirth in their face. The Traveler couldn’t really assume what Venti was feeling about this whole thing because of their varying expressions. All that the Traveler was sure of was that Venti wasn’t angry nor offended. This made the Traveler wonder what would make the Anemo Archon get truly ticked off.
“As I was saying,” Venti whispered to both the Traveler and Paimon. “I can. . .just shut it all off.”
“Why don’t you?” The Traveler couldn’t help but ask.
“Who am I to challenge the power of the people’s belief?” Venti giggled as they drank a cup. “It’s within their freedom to do so. Additionally,” the bard twirled their hand, “my siblings think that everything’s funny. I think so too.”
“What!?” Paimon exclaimed, then quieted down because of Venti mildly frowning at her. “But! They were insulting you!”
“I don’t really care about those things much,” Venti shrugged. “I’ve already heard a lot.”
The Traveler sensed the weight of Venti’s words at that, and was unsure how to exactly react to it. So the Traveler settled on squeezing Venti’s nearest wrist, “If you say so.”
Venti blinked at the gesture before smiling softly at the Traveler, “Thank you.” The bard laughed again, “Well, enjoy your dinner, okay? It’s my treat after all!”
“Oh, thank you for the Sticky Honey Roast!” Paimon squealed, already digging in. “Make sure you pay, Tone-Deaf Bard!”
Venti only wiggled their eyebrows, almost making Paimon throw a utensil at the bard. The Traveler only smiled at the two as they began to eat as well—even accepting the Teyvat-wide WindComm Current as their background ambience.
“—and that was how the mountains were created!”
“You really believe that crap?”
“There’s a thin line between being a genius and an idiot. You Archon Enthusiasts use it like a fucking jumprope.”
“I dare you to fucking repeat that!”
“You call yourselves genius when you all heavily relied on the Akasha before Lesser Lord Kusanali stopped it, dumbass!”
”If you’re from Natlan, why are you white?”
“So, who’s the Archon with the highest votes right now?”
“I will not accept someone other than the Raiden Shogun!”
“Whose Archon isolated their nation, again?”
“Your Archon heavily militarized your nation and has no love for you!”
“You imprisoned your Archon! That’s why she’s quite weak!”
”Your Archon’s a warheaded human!”
“Your Archon is a hypocrite in justice!”
“She’s a star!”
“Popularity does not equate to good governance.”
“Might I remind you that your Archon is absent?”
“At least our Archon’s NOT dead.”
“Who has a godless nation now, Linlang?”
“What the—!?”
“You Mondstadters are lazy as Abyss. You all deserve to—”
The Traveler almost choked in glee. Venti was quite right again. This was. . .a bit amusing, slanders not included.
“I quite hope I might be able to do my intervention tomorrow, though,” Venti softly mumbled.
“Why weren’t you able to do so tonight?” The Traveler questioned. Paimon was eating away beside them, and was clearly not paying attention anymore.
“Sweet Dahlia, my old pal, is not in the right mind right now,” Venti shook their head affectionately. “That child and the others gave me quite a liiittle bit of a fright with that display earlier.”
“I didn’t even think that Dahlia would react like that,” the Traveler snorted. “I never would’ve thought.”
Stanley’s still loud voice on the other side of the tavern echoed to their location. “—I’M TELLING YOU! LORD BARBATOS IS—”
The Traveler blinked at the man with an incredulous expression. They heard Diluc evidently groaning at the back.
Venti’s form shook as an exasperated smile was displayed on their face, “Eh. . . All things considered, Dahlia’s not the worst.”
The Traveler agreed as they stared and heard the continuing arguments on and through the WindComm.
𐔌 ﹒ ⋆ ˚₊‧꒰ა ꩜ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹
The Traveler tried their best to conceal their laughter as both Jean and Dahlia’s jaws dropped at what Venti just told them.
The next evening quickly came by, and Venti, the Traveler, and Paimon were back at the cathedral. This time, no one was there besides the six of them. Venti ensured that specific thing, and the Traveler trusted the bard.
“Hold – Hold on,” Dahlia was pale. “You’re. . . You’re telling me to give a speech to the entirety of Teyvat through the WindComm?”
“And the only ones who could respond to the WindComm are,” Jean paused as she digested the information, “the Archons?”
“Yup!” Venti grinned before summoning out about five pages of paper then gave it to both Jean and Dahlia. “My personal intervention! Just follow through with this script.”
“Paimon didn’t think of you to be a maker of rules, Tone-Deaf Bard.” Paimon huffed as she glanced at the contents with the Traveler. “Paimon would’ve thought that was Zh—”
“I am not,” Venti laughed, cutting Paimon off with a knowing look at her and the Traveler. “But. . .for everyone’s freedom of speech with their dignity attained, this must be done.”
Jean and Dahlia glanced at one another before letting out a breath. The Deacon was the one that responded, “Understood. I. . .I’m really sorry about yesterday, Venti.”
“Eh, no worries,” Venti waved him off as they put their hands on their hip. “So? Is this alright for you guys? You can still say no.”
“This – This was more than enough,” Jean sighed of what seemed to be relief. “We were still just concocting a plan about some regulations of the WindComm, so this was perfect timing.”
“Why, of course! I would always know the perfect time!” Venti giggled. “But, thank you, Jean.”
“We should thank you,” Jean passed the gratitude. “Really. Thank you, Venti.”
“Indeed,” Dahlia seconded. “Your wisdom knows no bounds.”
“Wisdom is not my domain,” Venti shook their head, yet their warm smile to both Jean and Dahlia never faded. “Well? Are you both ready?”
“Ah,” Dahlia suddenly gulped. “Right now?”
“Yes! This must be done with everyone having no knowledge of it,” Venti answered. “So it would have a very lasting effect.”
“Heeey!” Paimon huffed, “How about you let Jean and Dahlia breathe, Tone-Deaf Bard? You’re not the one giving out a speech to the whole Teyvat!”
Not minding Paimon, the Traveler was curious about one thing, though. “Would you stop every WindComm and just put everyone’s currents on this announcement instead?”
Venti clapped, “Excellent deduction! That is what will happen!” The bard looked so proud that the Traveler felt like they just did the impossible. “It’s better to have everyone’s ears on this!”
“Not to dampen this, my lord – I mean, Venti,” Dahlia’s voice was a bit shaky. “It’s just. . .”
“Don’t worry much about this, Dahlia,” Venti reassured. “The people will only focus on your and Jean’s words.”
However, even Jean looked like she wanted to just slump down for a few seconds. But as the Acting Grand Master that she was, she immediately put on a tough expression of determination. “We’ll do our best, Venti.”
“That’s the spirit!” Venti waved a hand all of a sudden, confusing them. “I stopped all the WindComms. Ready to take the spotlight?”
“What—! That fast!?” Paimon shrieked.
Jean and Dahlia’s eyes went wide and immediately re-skimmed through the set of papers that Venti gave the two of them before equally dividing the papers.
While they did so, the Traveler cheered, “Good luck!” They said, “You can do it.”
“Yeah! We’ll be cheering you on over here!” Paimon waved both of her hands.
Venti grinned at the two of them before glancing back at Jean and Dahlia, “Ready?”
The Acting Grand Master and the Herald of Barbatos shared one last glance before nodding resolutely. “Yes!”
Venti hummed then without preamble, strong winds bursted through the cathedral that made the Traveler stumble a bit and Paimon held onto them. The Traveler noticed that even Jean and Dahlia had to shield themselves for a bit because of the sudden onslaught. Only Venti was not disturbed—then the winds’ powerful flows stopped to a graceful one, and Venti beckoned for Jean and Dahlia to start.
“To all of the people in Teyvat,” Dahlia started. His voice was still quivering for a small bit, but it steadied as he went on. “Good evening. This is the Herald of Barbatos, speaking on behalf of our Archon, the Anemo Archon, Blessed be Thy name, Lord Barbatos, who had spoken to me last night in,” he hesitated a bit, “a dream.”
The Traveler and Paimon gave Venti a side-eye at that. Seriously? That reasoning?
Venti ignored them with a cheeky smile.
“The Acting Grand Master is also with me to share to everyone the rules and regulation of our Lord Barbatos in regards to the Wind Communication or as we know, WindComm,” Dahlia continued. “This Teyvat-wide WindComm is one-sided from us to each and everyone of you, except for each nation’s Archon and leader, who may interject at the end of the speech.”
“To begin with,” Dahlia took a breath, “let us start with Rule One. . .”
The Traveler turned to Venti as Dahlia continued to speak to say their query ever since earlier, “Nobody actually knows that. . . Zhongli’s. . .”
“Haha, yeah,” Venti replied, their smile now different than earlier. Jean was the one speaking in the background as Venti continued. “No one would notice. . . .Probably.”
Truth to be told, the Traveler also felt like no one would’ve caught on with the fact that Rex Lapis might answer to this WindComm. . .
Huh, would Zhongli answer? The Traveler felt like he would.
The Traveler returned to listening to Jean and Dahlia, and it didn’t take long enough when the both of them were holding onto the same page now. Dahlia read, “—with these rules in mind. Are there any objections from the ruling Archons? If none, kindly state if you are in approval of such regulations.”
“I approve of this.”
“I also approve!”
“I – We approve.”
“I am in approval!”
“Approved.”
“. . .hm.”
Jean and Dahlia’s eyebrows narrowed at the last responder, and the Traveler smiled at the familiar voice of Zhongli, but also felt like palming their whole face.
Venti let out a quiet huff beside the Traveler.
“. . .If that’s so, then we shall end this announcement with a message from,” Jean blinked at the paper, glanced at Venti, then looked back at the paper again, “. . .Lord Barbatos?”
The Traveler and Paimon instantly whipped both of their heads towards Venti, who cleared their throat and then put a hand on their chest, their voice resounding throughout the cathedral with a gentle yet powerful voice that was unlike their bard persona.
“Children. Do not abuse the WindComm.”
Venti giggled then added:
“Good night.”
Venti then flicked their hand, making the winds disperse and cut the Teyvat-wide WindComm Current. Leaving the Traveler and the others bewildered by their act while shielding themselves from the winds that festered throughout the area before it all halted to a calm flow.
“Wait, Tone-Deaf Bard!” Paimon squawked. “People would know who you are now!”
“They won’t,” Venti snorted. “Trust me.”
“What, did you disguise your voice or something!?” Paimon shrieked.
“Or something,” Venti teased.
“Tone-Deaf Bard!” Paimon angrily stomped her foot in the air, making Venti cackle again.
“So,” Dahlia began, “the people would know you’re awake?”
“Depends,” Venti shrugged, still grinning. “Who knows how they interpreted that, after all?”
The Traveler chuckled at that, Oh, Venti. . .
𐔌 ﹒ ⋆ ˚₊‧꒰ა ꩜ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹
𐔌 ﹒ ⋆ ˚₊‧꒰ა ꩜ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹
𐔌 ﹒ ⋆ ˚₊‧꒰ა ꩜ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹
Zhongli felt the winds tugging his hair and harshly prickling his face as he continued to trudge towards his destination: Mondstadt.
It was the next evening after the Teyvat-wide Announcement regarding the WindComm, and Zhongli wanted to have a change of scenery before embarking back home to Liyue. With all the arguments and verbal challenges he kept on hearing with the wind, Zhongli planned to use this walk as a therapy to clear his head.
Unlike everyone, Morax couldn’t use the WindComm to transmit messages; he would just get harassed by the wind. It was something that his friends, the Original Archons as well as the Adepti and Guizhong and Marchosius, find confusing. After all, Barbatos was a close confidant of Morax. So for him not being able to use the winds for communication became a mystery.
Barbatos seemed to not know why, either. Maybe they do know, and just didn’t tell Morax. Both of them have their own secrets, but Barbatos seemed to have more uncovered ones.
Morax tried to send a message again in current times, even using the mortal prayer phrase; but to no avail, the wind just hurled to his face and pulled his hair. He wondered why the winds that Barbatos was related to seem to have a dislike of him. That message was for Barbatos and him to meet up, but since that message was never sent, Morax just decided to take a walk from Liyue to Mondstadt, then back to Liyue instead.
However, as he trudged on towards Starsnatch Cliff, Morax heard familiar tunes playing alongside a divine and perfect voice, making him ignore the resounding Teyvat-wide WindComm Current as a background—because how could he care about that, when the God of Songs and Music was performing?
Like always, Morax stood as Barbatos continued to sing. The Anemo Archon was even swaying as they did while sitting on the edge of the cliff. Morax never quite mastered Old Mondisch, but from some words he picked up here and there, it was a sad song despite its sweet melody. Morax wondered if that was an analogy for Barbatos themself.
When the last note was plucked, Morax blinked himself out of his thoughts, and Barbatos turned to him with a neutral expression. They were about to speak when Morax beat them to it, “Incomparable as always.”
Barbatos’s mouth stayed ajar, then they turned away from Morax again. “Blockhead,” they whispered, but it was enough for Morax to still hear.
Morax moved again, stopping beside Barbatos before sitting—his gaze never left the Anemo Archon. “You’re here.”
“The winds told me of your arrival,” Barbatos desummoned their lyre then lifted their head to the sky. “So I went here.”
“—someone still on the Teyvat-wide WindComm Current—”
Morax felt relieved that the message was somewhat delivered, “I still couldn’t use Wind Communication.”
“Why can’t you just call it ‘WindComm’?” Barbatos rolled their eyes as they laid on the grass. “You’re just making it hard for yourself.”
“Hm,” Morax tried to tease, “Wind Communication.”
“Do you guys have any thoughts for a new WindComm Current with no censors?”
Barbatos let a gust of wind gently slap his face for that, making him chuckle. Morax motioned for Barbatos to sit up again, and even when Barbatos pouted, the Anemo Archon did so.
Morax removed his coat, not seeing the way Barbatos’s eyes went wide as he spoke, “What made you make this mode of communication open to all of Teyvat?”
“Add prayers. You’ll need one if you do that and a ton of fucking mora.”
“H – Huh?” Barbatos stammered. Morax’s eyes narrowed in confusion while he put his coat on the grass in its entirety. “I – Oh, well. We used WindComm first during what happened in our recent Windblume festival. . .”
“Ah,” Morax hummed, immediately knowing. He patted the covered ground for Barbatos to lay back to again. “I suppose they instantly assumed their Lord Barbatos gave them their holy blessing.”
“Yeah,” Barbatos softly answered, lying back down again. “Yeah.”
“Your point of view seems so interesting when you think out of your – I mean. Just interesting.”
Morax tilted his head at his old. . .friend. Barbatos seemed to be out of sorts, what happened?
Before he could make his query, Barbatos suddenly removed his cape—widening Morax’s eyes—then also patted the empty space beside them. “I’d feel lonely if it’s just me snoozing off, y’know.”
Morax lightly yet shakily chuckled and followed through Barbatos’s subtle request. Barbatos ‘tucked’ both of them with the cape Barbatos removed from themself, and although it didn’t truly reach Morax’s feet, the gesture was enough for him. Everything Barbatos did was exquisite, either way.
“You just escaped 500,000 mora there.”
“Can’t have shit in Teyvat, man.”
Morax glanced at Barbatos beside him, their warmth that Morax could somewhat feel from both of their shoulders nearly touching made him feel like he was ascending and descending at the same time. He didn’t know what to act next, so he just stared, swallowing down a trembling breath that he hoped Barbatos wouldn’t see, lest this wisp tease him about it endlessly.
Barbatos smiled back and averted their gaze from Morax. The wisp’s eyes were on the sky, “We’re finally doing the sleepover under the stars that we spoke of, huh, Morax?”
Morax huffed a small laugh, “I doubt [Belyi Tsar] would like the fact that we’re amidst the grass.”
“He’ll manage,” Barbatos pouted. “Ru— The Dendro Archon will just tell him of the benefits of sleeping on the grass.”
Morax tried his best to conceal his shock of Barbatos remembering her, so he hurriedly added before someOne else could digest, “Makoto would also just bring blankets, sweets, and tea as well,” Morax rapped. “Egeria would set up some sparkling water that she loves so much too.”
“Bleh,” Barbatos shuddered, eyeing Morax for a second while the dragon instinctively moved their makeshift blanket (Barbatos’s cape) to them more. “As the Hydro Archon, she shouldn’t love sparkling water much. It tastes a bit weird.”
“You drank two bottles.” Morax deadpanned affectionately. “Xbalanque didn’t even get to drink.”
“His fault for being late,” Barbatos playfully rolled their eyes. “Plus, he already chased me around the Place of Gathering for that with flaming balls. He even burned me!”
“You healed yourself. You’re fine,” Morax wanted to touch Barbatos’s arm, but hindered himself. He wasn’t sure of what their exact closeness was as of now. They just fought a few months earlier.
Barbatos snorted, and both of them fell into a comfortable silence. Morax continued to let his gaze solely on Barbatos, while the other seemed to not mind at all. They both never moved to inch closer, and Morax could somewhat feel that the both of them were holding something back. So. . .they let the Teyvat-wide WindComm Current be their background ambience.
“—so what did we learn?” A Mondisch scholar resounded.
“Your god just called us children,” a man with a Fontainian accent came through the Teyvat-wide WindComm.
“For the love of everything that is fucking holy and heavenly,” another man with thick Mondisch-Snezhnayan accent butted in, “SLEEP!”
Barbatos snorted and waved the WindComm away, the lulling silence of the night was now heard clearly. Morax felt his heart continue stutter at Barbatos’s laid form amidst the grass.
“They amuse me,” Barbatos whispered all of a sudden. “I love them.”
“That’s incredibly you, Barbatos.” Morax mumbled. “That’s you.”
“You’d know,” Barbatos muttered, “you’d know.”
“Of course,” Morax agreed. With everything both of them had gone through, Morax would feel severely ashamed and disappointed in himself if he didn’t truly know Barbatos at all.
“What did you think about everything?” Barbatos asked, their gaze on the moon.
Morax hummed, “They have truly amusing notions.”
“They are very amusing,” Barbatos said again. “What do you think the other Archons thought about it?”
“It’s better to hope that they weren’t offended by some,” Morax truthfully responded. Not every remark was positive, after all.
Barbatos sighed, worry etching their face. “True, I worry that some of them are too young to be numb to some comments.”
“Like our clothing?” Morax huffed. He couldn’t help but scowl for a bit as he remembered a certain comment.
“Oh, shut up. Remove that scowl,” Barbatos shook their head. “The people call your nation the godless nation, now.”
Morax didn’t really mind that when he knew and was the embodiment of the truth just as Barbatos was for Mondstadt. “Hm, let’s hope they don’t take it too seriously.”
“. . .Right.” Barbatos pursed their lips.
The both of them fell into silence again, and Morax decided to roll to the side, cushioning his head with an arm as his other hand situated awkwardly. Barbatos glanced at him, smiled softly, then rolled to the side as well. Both of them were looking at one another, but Barbatos averted their gaze every now and then.
“I never really thought the WindComm would turn out to be like this,” Barbatos softly mumbled. “It’s why I intervened – in a way. My children were becoming stressed, you see.” They quietly continued, Barbatos’s turquoise eyes slightly glowing with the moonlight—it looked familiar. “The power of belief sure is something else, Morax.”
“You,” Morax breathed, “are something else, Barbatos.” He decided to tease yet again. “It’s a bit unlike you to set out rules and regulations.”
Barbatos winked, “I wonder where I learned it from?”
Morax resisted.
“Plus,” Barbatos continued with a small shrug. “I only aided them.”
“Still a testament of your power,” Morax softly countered.
“Morax,” Barbatos called with the same tone they always had.
“Barbatos,” Morax called back, his volume quieter yet more intimate.
Morax didn’t know how long both of them got lost in each other’s gazes, but when Morax moved to touch a stray lock on Barbatos’s braid, the winds harshly pushed Morax’s hand back—surprising both of them, Barbatos moreso.
“Wha—?” Barbatos gently chided the winds. “Hey, guys. . .”
“. . .Your wind family seems to not like me at all,” Morax let out. He had already been assuming it, but this was yet again another confirmation. He always wondered why.
“It’s nothing like that. . .” Barbatos sighed, twirling a wind thread.
“Hm,” Morax merely hummed and just let his hand settle on the small space between both of them.
Barbatos inched closer, making Morax look at them again, “Will you be going back to Liyue?”
“Yes, I just took a walk.” Morax responded truthfully.
This made Barbatos shake their head, “It’s so like you to take a walk all across here or Sumeru.”
“I mostly walk to Mondstadt,” Morax added.
This made Barbatos raise an eyebrow, “Really now.”
“I speak the truth,” Morax smirked.
Barbatos only chuckled again as they both welcomed another round of silence. Morax still stared at Barbatos’s face while the other’s gaze lingered and changed on everything else except Morax’s eyes for some reason.
Quietly, Barbatos queried, “Can I accompany you back to Liyue in the morning? After we. . .sleep?”
Morax wanted to soar within the ground at that, “Of course,” he breathed. “Will you stay long?” Like before?
“Maybe,” Barbatos gave him a sly smile.
“Ah,” Morax will take that as a challenge. “I’ll make you stay long enough then.”
“As if,” Barbatos airily giggled. It was quite lulling music.
𐔌 ﹒ ⋆ ˚₊‧꒰ა ꩜ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹
𐔌 ﹒ ⋆ ˚₊‧꒰ა ꩜ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹
𐔌 ﹒ ⋆ ˚₊‧꒰ა ꩜ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹
𐔌 ﹒ ⋆ ˚₊‧꒰ა ꩜ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹
𐔌 ﹒ ⋆ ˚₊‧꒰ა ꩜ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹
Venti went to Liyue with Zhongli and the Traveler and Paimon in tow.
Venti tried their best to ignore or not to laugh at Zhongli’s surprised reaction the moment they invited the Traveler to embark the journey back with the two of them. The Traveler was about to go back to Nod-Krai anyways, so Venti expanded their duo with Zhongli to a whole party.
Zhongli, albeit evidently giving Venti a side-eye, welcomed the change. Venti knew that for sure, because he has a soft spot for the Traveler. Additionally, the Traveler was both their friend. Close friend.
On their way, the Traveler decided to use the WindComm for the first time. Paimon, too. They both had fun exchanging wind currents, and Venti couldn’t help but feel warm whenever they had fun with the winds.
“—Paimon wants to send a wind current to you!” Paimon shouted.
“Paimon, this is only for communication! Not for attacks,” the Traveler snorted. “If we both got separated, you know what to use, okay?”
“You say that as if Paimon’s stupid!” Paimon huffed. “Of course, Paimon will! Anyway,” she flew beside Venti, “can this WindComm still work if the Traveler’s in another dimension? Like the teapot, for example?”
“Yes,” both Venti and Zhongli responded. Venti continued, “As long as there’s wind.”
“You take the saying ‘wind hears all’ to another level, Venti,” the Traveler commented.
“The wind may hear all, but the earth stores it all—mix it together, and you’ll have ice to call,” Venti quipped with a wink.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Paimon frowned.
“I believe you’ll know more as you journey further,” Zhongli answered, “especially Snezhnaya.”
The Traveler’s expression evolved to a neutral stance at that, and Venti gave them a soft smile.
“Don’t worry, schnucki, you’re blessed,” Venti reassured. They finally arrived at the harbour—specifically, the docks. “Well! Let’s all buy what we need to buy! M— Zhongli, you have your wallet, right?”
Zhongli patted his pants and nodded, “Yes.”
Venti, the Traveler, and Paimon all sighed at that. The fairy frowned deep at Venti, “Don’t react like that! You’re broke too!”
“Hey, I just treated you to dinner!” Venti defended.
“Paimon,” the Traveler warned.
“Okay, sorry,” Paimon pouted, then her eyes brightened at something, dragging the Traveler right away. “Ooh! Traveler, let’s buy that!”
“Wait – ow, Paimon!”
Venti laughed as they watched the two get to a stall. The bard then turned to Zhongli with an eyebrow raised, “Well? Does this handsome consultant need my assistance?”
“No,” Zhongli smiled. Venti tried to stop their braids from floating. “It’s for dinner.”
“Then, go away and buy,” Venti shooed the taller being. Zhongli only shook his head at them and walked off to another stall.
Venti, on the other hand, breathed as they began to actually hear the onslaught of prayers on the back of their head. Most of it were automatically accepted anyway with their wind siblings, but Barbatos still wanted to flit through the requests.
“Lord Barbatos, please wind me a whisper, can you please mumble to my boss to give us a holiday?”
Barbatos snorted at that.
“Lord Barbatos, please wind me a whisper, can I speak to my deadbeat dad? I don’t want to see him right now.”
Yikes. Barbatos blinked then flicked their hand.
“Lord Barbatos, please wind me a whisper, I want to hear my lecture about Sumerian Architecture and History. I’m sick.”
“Lord Barbatos, please wind me a whisper, let me hear gurgles of fishies please!”
“Lord Barbatos, please wind me a whisper, I want to hear the latest gossip!”
“Lord Barbatos, please wind me a whisper, I want to open up my group wind current with my friends.”
“Lord Barbatos, please—”
“—wind me—”
“—a whisper—”
“Hello, bard,” Venti blinked, turning to the one who called them. A youthful merchant man. “I see you’re lingering in this stall.”
Venti looked at the said stall: the vendor was selling jewellery. The bard could sense that some of it was of high quality. Maybe Zhongli would confirm.
“Haha! Sorry,” Venti was about to walk away, “I was just thinking about my next song!”
The merchant only smiled, and Venti could feel the hidden agenda coming off of it, so they merely gave him a smile and a nod before truly venturing off, but the merchant blocked their way out. “Would you like to try the jade ring? It would truly suit you! I can pay for it if you’d like?”
“Thanks, but no,” Venti wanted to sigh. “I believe someone else is worthy of your money, kind sir.”
“I think you’re worthy enough,” the man’s gaze raked from up and down. “How about dinner?”
“I’m already having a marvelous dinner,” Venti stepped close to another route of exit—but then their attention caught a little whirl at the side—a baby?
A baby. Running to the side of the harbour.
“Surely it won’t be as marvelous as—”
“No, sorry,” Venti cut him off, heart thumping in anxiety. Where were the baby’s parents? “Have a nice day.”
“Oh, no,” the man reached for Venti’s arm, but Venti harshly tugged it to themself with a glare. It seemed to finally let the man catch the hint and back off, so Venti instantly ran to the direction of where the child was.
Oh, she’s already near the edge! “The baby!” Venti screamed as they practically flew at full speed. The baby was about to fall! Morax was near the area, he’ll get it! “Mor – Zhongli! The baby!”
Zhongli’s head whipped to the direction Venti pointed at and ran at the same speed he did during the Archon War, surprising civilians and onlookers—but Venti didn’t give a single care. The bard sent a swirl of Anemo to stop the descent to the sea when the child toppled and fell— then Zhongli finally held the child and gently pushed it to Venti, who arrived at the scene at the same time.
However, when Zhongli pushed the baby to Venti, Zhongli was the one who fell down instead; and the winds didn’t catch him.
The Funeral Parlor Consultant made contact with the sea with a loud splash.
“Zhongli!” Paimon screamed.
“Da!” The baby on Venti’s arms clapped happily, oblivious to what had happened. “Dahahaha!”
Venti gave the child a grin as they asked for their wind siblings to get the child’s parents while wincing at Zhongli’s state. Carrying the child, the bard looked down in concern alongside the other Liyuens, “Zhongli?”
Zhongli emerged from the water, shaking his form—what a dragon—then looked up, uncaring of the others. With the same calm demeanor as ever, he replied, “I’m alright.”
Venti sighed, then smirked, “Having fun?”
Zhongli deadpanned at them with that and decided to just swim to the nearest docking point. Venti only shook their head with a chuckle as they turned back to the baby, who was staring at Venti with wide eyes, “That old blockhead sure is funny, huh?”
“Dah!” The baby exclaimed. Venti’s smile went wider. Oh, children are so cute. . .
“Yang!” A woman shouted. Venti instantly knew by the winds that it was the baby’s mother, so they gave Yang right away to her. “Oh, Yang! Thank Rex Lapis and Lord Barbatos!”
Oh, if only you know, Venti chuckled. “Calm down, Ma’am. It’s okay, she’s safe.”
“Thank you!” Venti was pulled into a hug by the woman, startling them a bit. Venti was weightless so they felt the impact of the sudden motion. “Thank you, thank you!”
“Oh, it’s not me,” Venti awkwardly laughed. “The one who saved her is Mister Zhongli over there.”
Zhongli was nearing the dock, and the woman nearly cried. “Oh, thank you, thank you. . .how could I ever repay. . .”
“You don’t need to, it’s okay,” Venti gently reassured. “Don’t worry, I’ll pass your thanks, okay?”
“Thank you, thank you,” the woman sobbed. “I know where Mister Zhongli lives, I’ll bring him some hotpot. . . Oh! What about you, ma’am? Sir? Oh, I’m so sorry—”
“It’s okay, it’s okay! Please breathe!” Venti cut her off before she could cry. “No worries! I’ll be staying with him, anyways!”
“Okay,” the woman breathed, “okay.”
“For now, just go home, settle yourself and the baby, alright?” Venti directed as the woman was still in the state of shock. “Yang’s safe, ma’am. She’s in your arms, happy with her. . .mom.”
“Thank you,” the woman hugged the baby in her arms while staring at Venti with tears in her eyes, “thank you.”
Venti smiled, “It’s not me you should thank.”
It took the woman a couple of more reassurances before she finally left. Venti turned to the side and saw the Traveler and Paimon already beside them with expressions of bewilderment, “What?”
“Paimon. . .never thought of you as someone like that,” Paimon slowly admitted.
“You love children, Venti?” The Traveler asked. They look like they already know the answer.
“Oh, stop it. It’s nothing like that,” Venti deflected, moving further to the side. “Now, where is that blockhead—”
Oh.
“Oh, my,” a Liyuen woman fanned herself.
“Huh,” the merchant man earlier even hummed.
Venti saw the way Zhongli hoisted himself up from the sea to the dock, all wet and drenched from head to toe, making his clothes stick to his skin. That was the reason why Zhongli shed off his coat and started to wring the water out of it, flexing their muscles unintentionally, with his serious gaze focused on this menial task. Every civilian in the harbour had their gazes locked into this magnificent being, and Venti wanted to just grab Morax and teleport him out of here.
Barbatos swallowed. They weren’t sure what exact expression they were displaying, but Barbatos knew that they bit their lip.
The Traveler lightly elbowed the bard, yet Venti themself didn’t care about that.
“Lord Barbatos, please wind me a whisper, can I call my parents about Mister Zho—”
“Lord Barbatos, please wind me a whisper, might I call on Director Hu Tao to ask for Mister Zho—”
“Lord Barbatos, please wind me a whisper, let me tell my friends about Mister Zho—”
“No,” Venti muttered in irritation as they flicked their hand, breaking the winds from the people who prayed, “this is for me.”
“Venti?” The Traveler snorted, Paimon whispering in their ear. Foolish Paimon, Barbatos could hear you.
“Hush,” Venti huffed, breaking their gaze on Zhongli. “Just – Let’s go.”
The Traveler let out a laugh, and Barbatos focused on that instead as they trudged down to where Morax was—the old blockhead was still trying to dry himself off.
“Hey,” Barbatos called the moment they were beside Morax, “give me that.”
Morax blinked, like a pretty dumbass, and now that Barbatos could see this old dragon up close. The sea water must’ve been a bit dirty, but it did not hinder Morax from looking perfect. Barbatos wanted to push him off the dock.
Morax gave Barbatos his coat, still incredibly wet, and stared at Barbatos with that amused yet confused expression on his face.
Barbatos pouted, but there was a small smile on their face. Okay, they kinda went ticked off for no reason, but anyways.
Barbatos subtly used the winds to dry the coat off as well as Morax’s clothes, “I won’t be drying your hair.”
“Hm,” Morax only let out, and continued to wring the water out of his hair. The proper-looking Morax was gone as of this moment, but him with a messy look was something else.
Barbatos got tired of pretending that they were still drying Morax’s coat, and they kind of felt bad for Morax still having wet hair, so Barbatos used the winds again then motioned for Morax, “Turn around.”
Morax followed Barbatos without question, and Barbatos helped him wear his coat again. When Morax faced them, his amusement was explicitly evident that Barbatos was incredibly close to throwing him to the farthest sea.
“Lord Barbatos, please wind me a whisper, I want to tell this juicy information to—”
“No,” Barbatos repeated again, softly this time. Morax gave him a confused expression again.
The people can use the WindComm for everything they want (unless it’s something that would make things worse than it currently was), but let them have Barbatos have one thing that they could keep private.
“Hey! Are you two done yet?! It’s getting very windy!”
“Paimon. . . !”
𐔌 ﹒ ⋆ ˚₊‧꒰ა ꩜ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹