Barbartos, though he'll never openly admit it, loved the winds in Liyue more than his own. Being so deeply infatuated with the landscape of Liyue has led to many encounters between the God of freedom and last of Morax's yakshas. Drawing the anemo users together, the wind dances gleefully around them. Monthly meetups turn to daily as their bond strengthens. Years pass by of pitiful pining on Venti's end, never having the confidence to ask if they can be something more. Xiao doesn't bat an eye at the others advances through the years, draining all confidence Venti manages to build up. As winter rolls in, blanketing the hills in snow, Venti prepares his biggest stunt yet. The gift giving holidays have inspired him to show his feelings through an item. Walking up the staircase at wangshu inn, Venti grips the edges of his gift for support. Turning the corner to xiao's balcony, heat trickles down his face. For there stood *his* Xiao, but with someone else in his heart. Eyes softened and lips quirked into a small smile, the soft peck he gave the other left Venti petrified. If he acted faster maybe that would be him, being affectionately showered with kisses. His legs moved before his mind could continue such a train of thought, warping himself back to his statue. The present still in a deathly grip, Venti broke down in the grassy plain. The way those golden irises fondly looked upon someone else, how his cheeks were tinted with the slightest shade of pink. Things the bard could only dream of having as his own. It was a slow walk to the city, time seemed but a blur as he made his way to Angel's Share. Taking his usual seat at the bar, Venti slammed his head onto the wood surface in front of him. Diluc, noticing the bards slumped posture, decided to skip past the playful banter and just hand over the dandelion wine. Appreciative of the gesture Venti gave a curt nod before flicked off the top and chugging. Attempting to drown out his sorrows, erase the vivid memory, replace it with something else. It was a cycle of downing the wine bottles for hours on end, and after the last paying customer left he was kicked out. Walking through the bare streets of mondstat Venti lingered under every mistletoe, begging for xiao to appear. He didn't care If he was just on the side to satisfy Xiao's leftover needs. Venti was ready to give his life for the Yaksha, and yet it wasn't enough. All of the days they'd spent in each other's presence, when did he lose him. How many times did that person show up after he'd left and capture Xiao's heart? How long did his pining go unnoticed because of how deeply infatuated Xiao is with someone else? Tears streamed down Venti's cheeks, staining them red in the process. His mind was full of the memories he'd made with Xiao, overloading his senses. Stumbling out of town, Venti warped himself to the cliff near Wangshu Inn. The winds accompanied him, attempting to push him closer. Trying to make him glide to the inn, to Xiao. He wanted nothing more than to comply, but he felt so numb now. Drained from the crying, Venti looked over the cliff, taking a step towards the edge. Dangling his foot there a second before drawing it back to safety, he sat himself down. Simply staring out at Wangshu Inn, imagining how he'll face the Golden Eyed Angel tomorrow.
He won't.
He decided then, that he'll distance himself. He needed to get over the man, to move on and be freed from this ache. The wind begged him to follow, but he smiled one last time towards Xiao's balcony. Not the usual smile he wore, but one that expressed the gods hurt throughout the years. Then he was gone, a flurry of feathers left behind him.