Chapter Text
Oliver and Venti were making their way back to Mondstadt. The waverider was cutting through the calm waters.
Venti let out a soft sigh, his hands lightly gripping the boat's controls. "So," he started, glancing over to Oliver. "What do you wanna do once we get back to Mondstadt? After we check in with Jean, I mean. Do you want to chill, or..."
"I dunno," Oliver replied. He was leaning comfortably against Venti's side, standing while the bard relaxed in the boat's control chair. "Maybe we can chill? Or, well, maybe something will crop up." He smiled thoughtfully. "I kinda didn't mind helping the Knights out. Though... I didn't really do much."
Venti let out a small, playful sigh. "Ugh, don't tell me you're thinking of joining the Knights of Favonius~," he teased, dragging out the syllables. "You'll drag me into helping you!"
Oliver looked down at him. "You say that as if it's a bad thing," he chuckled. "No wonder that small floating girl called you lazy~."
"Hey, stop!" Venti yelled defensively, though a bright smile betrayed him. He turned to the right to face Oliver and gave him a quick, affectionate kiss. "Do you mind getting one of my wine bottles, love?" he asked.
Oliver blinked, looking from Venti to the pile of supplies stashed at the back of the Waverider. "Uhh... are you sure it's okay to be drinking and driving a boat?"
Venti just beamed. "Hehe! It's fine! Remember, I don't get drunk easily. One bottle will do absolutely nothing to me—it'll be the equivalent of me drinking non-alcoholic grape juice!"
Conceding the point, Oliver made his way to the back, picked up one of the bottles, and brought it over to the bard.
"Thanks, cutie~," Venti said, taking the bottle. He popped the cork out with his teeth, spat it to the side, and took a drink straight from the bottle like he always does. Lowering it, he set the bottle down in front of him near the front window. "Hey, remember I brought some snacks from Mondstadt? They should all be back there. I'm sure you're hungry, and we're not going to be back for a while. I still don't wanna take any chances with teleporting and arriving back too soon. Not sure if we're meeting Jean or someone else, so I don't want to risk it."
Venti had definitely brought a lot of things.
There were bags upon bags stacked together. "Ha... I may have overdone it," Venti chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "They're all in individual boxes. I kinda overworked poor Sara this morning," he smiled guiltily. "But don't worry! I paid her this time, using some funds I made from performing over the last couple of days."
Oliver rummaged through the bags and picked up a box marked Moon Pie.
Venti glanced at him in the reflection of the glass. "That's Moon Pie," he helpfully pointed out.
Oliver opened the box and took a hearty bite, then paused, blinking as he stared down at the pastry. "I swear I thought this was a dessert—"
Venti snorted, struggling to hold back a giggle. "Oof. Yeah, it's savory, not sweet."
"It's still tasty," Oliver mumbled, taking another bite as he walked back over to Venti. "Maybe when we go back—" he paused to chew, "—I can watch you perform like the last few days."
Venti smiled, a faint blush dusting his cheeks. "You like watching me sing, huh?"
"I honestly have no idea what half of your songs are actually about, but it's nice."
Venti's smile softened. "Yeah. I mean, with you coming from a different world, my songs would actually mean nothing to you. I'm a god here, but you're not from here, so you're not required to worship me."
"Oh, is that what those songs are about?" Oliver asked.
"Yeah," Venti nodded. "I mostly sing them not because they're about me, but because they're about freedom. Which is kind of my whole thing. I love seeing people be free, you know? So, I love singing about it. The people of Mondstadt... well, they don't really know who I am, but they respect 'Venti' because he's someone who keeps the tradition of Barbatos' love for freedom alive."
Oliver let out a quiet sigh, finishing off his Moon Pie before leaning comfortably against Venti once again. "It must be hard to... live a double life like that."
"Eh," Venti shrugged nonchalantly. "It ain't all that bad." He reached over from the wheel, grabbing his bottle to take another sip.
Oliver watched Venti drink, his gaze trailing down to Venti's lap where a familiar glowing orb caught his eye. "Hey? What is that thing, exactly? I meant to ask you about it earlier," he said, pointing at it.
Venti glanced down. "Oh, you mean this?" He lifted the glowing pendant attached to his hip. "It's my Vision," he replied. "Though, mind you, this one I have is fake."
Oliver squinted, his curiosity piqued. He had a few questions. What exactly was it, and why was it fake?
"I'll try to loosely explain," Venti started, gesturing with his free hand. "Okay, so select people here are gifted Visions by the higher gods in Celestia. But Archons like me don't use Visions. We use something called a Gnosis." Venti flashed a quick, cheeky smile. "Heh, my Vision is fake! It's nothing but a glass case with some thick paper with the Anemo logo on it!" He laughed, looking up at Oliver.
Oliver looked thoroughly confused. "Huh? Why is it fake, then?"
"Because gods like me don't have Visions. But I use Vision-like powers because of my Gnosis. Remember, I'm trying to blend in as a human. So a fake Vision helps me keep up the act."
Oliver nodded in understanding. "Ah, okay. I get it now. So no one will be suspicious of you using powers?"
"Exactly!" Venti beamed.
"So... I guess with that Gnosis thing, it... lets you summon that bow?"
"Well, I—" Venti started, but Oliver kept his train of thought going, and continued to talk.
"It's strange," Oliver blinked, staring out at the water. "Before you came back, when I was near those slimes, a... a sword actually appeared in my hands. And... I could have sworn I was using different elements."
Venti gasped slightly, his head snapping over to look at Oliver. He blinked gently, processing the information, before turning his eyes back to the ocean. "Every day you sound more and more like the Traveler."
Oliver looked at him in surprise. "Really?"
"Yes. The Traveler... well, I won't say everything that I know about him, but he's able to use the elements without a Vision or a Gnosis. And he's definitely no Archon like me. It's something about him touching the Statues of The Seven..." Venti glanced back up at his boyfriend. "Upon waking up in Mondstadt, do you remember coming into contact with any large Statues?"
Oliver blinked, searching his memories... the ones of being here in Teyvat so far. "Uhhh... no? Not that I can recall."
"Interesting," Venti muttered, tapping the wheel. "I doubt you have a Gnosis. Though, as Archons, we don't truly need one either."
"You don't need one? How come?" Oliver asked.
"They're a big part of us, yes, but... one day a few years ago, I was attacked. This lady came out of nowhere, ripped it out of me, and kicked me to the ground—"
Oliver's breath hitched, a sharp gasp escaping his lips. "WHO DID THAT TO YOU!?" His voice rang out, laced with a fierce, sudden anger that surprised even himself.
Venti jumped, utterly caught off guard. "W-Woah! Hahaha!" Venti broke into a laugh, waving his hands. "Babe, babe! It's okay! Hold on, let me finish—"
Oliver coughed, his face flushing a deep crimson. "S-Sorry, I—"
Venti giggled warmly, leaning over to press a quick kiss to Oliver's cheek. "It's okay! Awww~ you care about me so much~."
Oliver blinked, though his eyes remained narrowed in protective frustration. "Honestly, I'd kill that lady myself for hurting you."
Venti snorted. "Babe, babe! Calm down!" he laughed. "The thing is... I saw her coming. I already knew it was going to happen."
Oliver tilted his head, confusion replacing his anger. Then, he gasped. "Oh... Oh wow! Was... so that was an important event? Like what you told me?"
Venti quickly shook his head. "Well, not exactly. You see, my old Gnosis held my full power as an Archon. You remember when we talked about what you just brought up? About whether I can see the future? Well, before my Gnosis was stolen, I actually could see literally everything. I joked about it, but yes... I could see everyday things like me giving... oh, I dunno, Diluc a flower as appreciation for his delicious wines," Venti sighed softly. "So, I saw her coming. I always did. And I let her take it, because I didn't want that full power of an Archon anymore."
Oliver listened intently, trying to wrap his head around the weight of it all. Actually having all that power, being able to see anything and everything across the past, present, and future? "Oh wow... I... that's insane."
"We lower-tier gods are supposed to be granted all those things, but many of us don't want it. Zhongli gave his away too. I don't know for what reason, but I'm sure it was similar to mine," Venti giggled. "But he just gave his away. Of course, I had to pick the most convoluted way to get rid of mine."
Oliver couldn't help but laugh at that. "Yeah, that sounds like you."
"Though—" Venti pointed down to the 'fake' Vision on his hip. "I ended up putting some of the power from the Gnosis into this befre she took it. So, I guess in a way, it's not all that fake? I didn't want to get rid of all my powers. Just the ones I didn't want anymore. I still wanted to live long to make sure my people are safe, I still wanted to fly and control the wind, and I definitely still wanted my high intolerance to wine!" Venti added the last part with a playful wink.
"Of course!" Oliver laughed, shaking his head. "Can't give up your wine addiction, can you?"
"Never!" Venti beamed, proudly fiddling with the Vision. "Yeah. So seven years ago, this was all fake. Not so fake now. Though, admittedly, not as strong as some other people's Visions." Venti leaned back against his chair. "Anyway, don't worry, we'll get to Mondstadt soon. If you want, you can take a nap~."
~~~~
The two arrived back in Mondstadt a few hours later. The sky was darkening, the sun dipping below the horizon as nighttime set in. They made their way to the Knights of Favonius headquarters and checked in at Jean's office.
Jean was incredibly grateful for Venti's assistance. "Thank you, Venti! But seriously, you didn't have to drive all that way with the Waverider. Amber and the others aren't even here! You really didn't have to go through all of that trouble."
Venti chuckled, throwing his arm casually over Oliver's shoulders. "Ah, it's okay! It was nice to spend some more time with this adorable thing outside of Mondstadt~," he teased, gently squeezing Oliver.
Oliver giggled, a soft blush spreading across his face as he was pulled into Venti's side.
"Well, I appreciate you both for doing this for me. I just hope General Gorou signs that paperwork soon."
Venti smiled brightly. "You're welcome!" He pulled away from Oliver and gave him a gentle nudge. "Come on, let's go get something to eat for dinner at Sara's."
They turned toward the door, about to leave.
"Oh! Venti!" Jean called out, halting them in their tracks. "I'm sorry to bug you and Oliver again, but this will be quick." She reached down below her desk, retrieving a set of keys. "The Traveler was here this afternoon, but he seems to have left his hotel keys behind—" she held them out, offering them to the bard. "If you find him, could you give these to him?"
Venti nodded, swiping the keys. "Sure thing!"
~~~~~
"Hey—" Venti paused outside the headquarters, handing the keys over to Oliver. "I think the Traveler might actually be up in his hotel room. You should bring these to him personally, so you can meet him properly! You haven't really spoken to him since you've been here."
Oliver looked at the keys in his palm. "Oh... there's a hotel here?"
"Yeah," Venti nodded, gesturing down toward the lower parts of the city. "The Goth Grand Hotel. The Traveler pays for a room there with the Mora he's made since he arrived. I don't know why he was so careless as to leave his key behind, though. It's right over there—" Oliver followed Venti's finger and spotted the large, imposing building. "Go on in, ask for him, and hand him the key. I'll wait for you at Good Hunter."
Oliver nodded, pocketing the keys. "Okay, I'll be off then."
~~~~~~
Oliver pushed open the heavy double doors and stepped inside the grand lobby of the hotel. He glanced around, but there was no one manning the front desk. "Oh crap... I was hoping someone was there so I could just hand them the key..." He walked directly up to the counter, peering over it. "I wonder how much a room is here?" he muttered to himself.
He quickly shook his head, dismissing the thought. "Nah, sharing a hammock with Venti is way better."
Oliver looked down at the brass key tag in his hand.
Room 210
"I guess... I can just head up there on my own," Oliver decided. He found the grand staircase and made his way up to the second floor. His shoes padded softly against the carpet as he walked down the dimly lit hallway, checking the brass numbers on each door.
Room 207. Then 208, 209, and finally, 210.
"Hey... uh? Traveler?" Oliver rapped his knuckles firmly against the wooden door. "Hello?"
Silence greeted him. There was absolutely no noise coming from inside. "Wait a minute. Is he even inside?" Oliver grabbed the brass knob and gave it a twist. It held firm. "Okay... it's locked." He looked back up at the door number just to double-check. It was definitely the right room. "Huh. He has to be inside. He couldn't have locked the door from the outside if he doesn't have his key."
He knelt down, peering at the gap at the bottom of the door to see if he could simply slide the key underneath, but the clearance was far too tight.
"Okay—" Oliver made up his mind. He stood back up, slotting the key into the lock. "I'll just drop these off inside." He turned the key, hearing a click, and pushed the door open, peering cautiously inside.
"Wow..." The room was incredibly cozy. A large, plush bed sat on one side, surrounded by elegant wooden furnishings and warm lighting. There was even a beautiful balcony overlooking the city. "Looks a lot cozier than the hotel in Fontaine," he muttered in appreciation. Stepping fully inside, he called out once more. "Traveler, are you here? You left your keys back at the Knights' headquarters!"
Oliver stood in the center of the room, looking around. "He's not here," he said, shaking his head in confusion. "Okay, that makes no sense. The door was locked. He should be inside." He walked over toward the right side of the room near the bed. "Traveler? Are you out on the balcony?"
He wasn't. Oliver sighed heavily, turning back toward the center of the room. "I should probably wait for him to come back. It wouldn't feel right to just leave the keys unattended in here." He crossed his arms, tapping his foot. "Great. What did I get myself into? Poor Venti is going to be waiting forever for me to come back—"
Oliver's sentence died in his throat. His eyes had locked onto something sitting innocently on a dresser on the far side of the room. He squinted, stepping closer.
It was a glowing, intricately designed golden teapot.
"Hmm," Oliver mumbled, tilting his head. "Is that... a teapot?" He walked right up to the dresser, inspecting the curious object. "Is that some form of decor for the room? Or is it a tea pot to use? Why is it just sitting out here?"
Without thinking, Oliver reached out a hand. "I don't recall teapots being a normal form of decoration—"
The exact moment his fingertips brushed against the cold brass of the spout, a violent, pulling sensation seized his body. The room around him warped and twisted into a blur of colors, and in the blink of an eye, Oliver vanished completely from Room 210.