#made myself sad thinking about the possibility of wind wisp venti and adepti sqx crossing paths

[deiscension]

﹄ ◇ ; @melodicbreeze / WHAT'S SHI QINGXUAN THINKING?

💭 I know it's been few interactions but---

      ⌜◈⌟    ▌ ──  '𝙄𝙩'𝙨 𝙨𝙤 𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙙𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙪𝙙𝙙𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙪𝙥 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣. Most people are knocked flat on their backs by the third or fourth round, but not my favorite bard in all of Teyvat!'

     𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐋𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫, even if The Angel's Share is a far cry from the splendor of Chenyu Vale's mountaintops. A blessing in many ways. The lingering sting of shame isn't quite as quick to reawaken when both scenery and company are so different from that bygone era. In its place appreciation blooms: for the boisterous tavern patrons, the endless flow of dandelion wine, and a companion at her side who laughs alongside her 'til both their sides hurt and the bartender has to tell them to quiet down. She's been accepted by him without question. That's enough for her.

     𝐎𝐫 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡. But without the shame to aid in smothering it, the ache for those long-gone days swells until her chest could burst from it. She's no longer Lady Wind Master. She never should have been. She knows this as well as she knows the back of her own hands. Is it so wrong for her to miss racing through the clouds? Is it so wrong for her to pine for the taste of sweet sake mingling with the scent of incense rising from the offerings of her beloved devotees? At times, being at Venti's side seems to exacerbate these pangs of nostalgia. Surely one of her favorite pagodas still stands atop the mountains, even if as overgrown remains. If she could somehow take him to one and manage to unearth a bottle of Thousand-Year Mulberry Mead along the way, then maybe...

   ...𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠? She's moved on. Besides, that mead had been brewed specifically as offerings to Adepti. More than a sip or two could easily kill a mortal. And speaking of--

     '--𝙎𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙄 𝙗�� 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧!? I know humans are sturdier than they look, but surely there's a limit to what their organs can handle. Aiyah, how many bottles did we go through last night? Wait... can he drink as much as me in a single sitting? Hmm...'