#genshin rex lapis
nights of remembrance
masterlist
characters:venti, zhongli
genre:angst
contains:hinting the loss of a lover, (name) isn’t specifically mentioned
summary:with their journey continuing, the traveler decides to pay the archons a visit.
notes: just an idea i had :) not a request but i promise i’m working on them!
“we’ve never seen their homes, have we?” paimon hums as they float beside their partner. the twin nods quietly, watching as paimon continues to interrupt conversations in search of the archon’s residence.
venti -
“you’re looking for venti?” jean echoes, earning a nod from the duo. the acting grand master sorts through papers for a few seconds before settling on a single file. her eyes scan over them before she states. “i think this is where he lives.”
she hands the paper over to the adventurers. paimon peers over the traveler’s shoulder before cheering, “oh! paimon knows where that house is!”
“you do?” the traveler chuckles, following their floating companion out of the knights’ headquarters.
“mhm! we pass by it all the time!”
the traveler, trusting paimon’s word, continues following after them before they arrive at the door of a secluded home.
the blond(e) knocks on the wooden door, sharing a confused look with paimon when no response is given.
“do you think he’s ignoring us?” paimon asks, prompting the traveler to shake their head. paimon puffs out their cheeks before proposing, “let’s see if the door’s open!”
“…why not?” with a shrug, the traveler goes to push open the door. and to their surprise, it opens with a simple nudge.
“is he not home?” paimon questions, floating around the empty living room. the traveler begins walking through the home, noting the picture frames littered around the rooms.
some were turned down with their photos pressed against the counter. others were simply empty, the backs of them broken as if the last person clawed at them.
they eventually reach the top of the stairs, a single door open by an inch. they peek through the gap of the door, spotting a person standing in front of a mirror.
the person’s eyes were closed and their hands cupped their own cheeks. they stroked their own skin as they hummed quiet songs, taking shaky breaths in between each one.
“hello traveler,” the person suddenly greets, remaining in front of the mirror with shut eyes.
“u-uh, hello!” the blond(e) replies nervously, opening the door to step into the room. “sorry, we thought this was someone else’s house…”
“who were you looking for?” they inquire, turning around to face them.
“a friend of ours. he’s… a bard!”
“hold on,” with that, they disappear from the traveler’s view. after a minute or so, venti walks in from what was seemingly a bathroom. “what pleasure do i owe you, traveler?”
“we just wanted to visit!” paimon, who had floated beside the traveler, answers.
“ah, i see, i see,” venti laughs half-heartedly.
“who was that earlier?”
“hm?”
“the person in here,” the traveler clarifies. “the one in front of the mirror.”
venti purses his lips before looking over his shoulder, staring at the one frame that still contained a photograph. he lets out a quiet sigh before walking over to it, delicately taking it from its place on the wall.
“them?” the single word he uttered held a sadness the traveler was quite familiar with.
a sadness that screamed desperation and longing.
“that’s them,” they nod. venti hums quietly, holding the frame close to his chest.
“they… were my muse. and they still are.”
zhongli –
“ah, you’re looking for zhongli?” hu tao grins, adjusting her grip on a box.
“yep! we’re just here to visit,” paimon states, twirling in their spot in the air. “is he here?”
“unfortunately, you came at the wrong time,” the director replies, shaking her head. “zhongli is on his break right now.”
“i wouldn’t expect zhongli to be the type to take a break,” the traveler chuckles. hu tao drops the box near her desk before whirling around to face the duo.
“i know where you could find him, though!” she beams, swatting at the ghost chewing at her hair. without waiting for a response, she grabs the blond(e)’s hand and drags them out of the parlour, pointing down the walkway. “if you go down this road, there’s one house! that’s where he should be right now.”
“he owns a house?” paimon questions, furrowing their brows. “he doesn’t seem like he could afford it.”
“he doesn’t!” hu tao grins once more before disappearing into the funeral parlour. brushing off hu tao’s normal, happy-go-lucky attitude, the two head down the path through liyue.
a small home greets them at the end with small bushes of flowers surrounding it. the silk flowers, qingxin, and glaze lilies planted around were well taken care of. small water droplets could be seen on their petals, falling to the grass with each passing second.
the wooden stairs barely made a sound as the traveler stepped on them, allowing the blond(e) to walk up them silently. paimon kicks the air excitedly before pushing the door, letting out a yelp when the door swings open without a squeak.
from where they stood, they could see a figure with (h/color) hair mumbling to themselves as they paced around the kitchen.
“um…! excuse us!” paimon calls out as they squeeze through the gap in the door. The person turns around, smiling softly as they nod in acknowledgment. they motion towards one of the empty chairs at the table.
“thank you…?” the traveler nods, pulling out the chair to sit down. they glance around the room, staring at the small pieces of paper taped on the walls. only a few notes were intelligible from where they sat.
take care of the flowers every day.
tea breaks after work.
ingredients for bamboo shoot soup, almond tofu, universal peace, and crab roe tofu are in the cabinets.
tend to azhdaha’s tree.
“apologies,” the (h/color)-haired person hums, placing two cups in front of the traveling duo. they take a seat across from them with their own cup, taking a small sip as they ask, “is there something you needed from me?”
“we were looking for zhongli!” paimon cheers, jumping in the air. “hu tao said he lived here.”
“ah, i see,” they nod before standing up. “i can get him for you.”
a few minutes pass before the two hear soft footsteps. They turn their heads, finding the geo archon walking towards them with a picture frame clutched in his hand. he takes the seat across from the traveler, placing the frame in the middle of the table.
“i assume you have questions about who they were,” he mutters, turning the frame to show the picture inside.
“are they your partner?” paimon teases, folding their hands together.
“they are,” zhongli chuckles, gliding his fingers over the glass. “they are the one thing i will protect from erosion. no matter the cost. such is… my final contract with them.”
Childe:I basically just lurch from one “unforgivable” offence to the next.
Lumine:Like the infamous Golden House incident?
Childe: Oh my Tsaritsa, how many times do I have to apologise for that?
Zhongli:Once would be nice?
Childe:…no.
