Chapter Text
Winds blew against the bard sitting upon the Barbatos statue. His braids flying ever so slightly every time the wind currents hit them. His legs swung back and forth off the ledge, as he sat snugly in the hands of the giant stone figure.
His lyre was placed carelessly to the side as he reminisced over the city of freedom. Although his lyre was very dear to him, it was discarded to the side right now as he watched over the streets.
He wouldn't want to bother anyone at this hour anyway, even if they couldn't hear him play when he was all the way up there, he still held his precautions. After all, the wind carries messages even without the consent of the messenger. I mean, he was still the anemo archon, he should know this best.
The air felt chilly against his pale cheeks, his eyes glanced over to the soon-to-be decorated streets. Well, maybe not that soon. Even though the Windblume festival seemed to be right around the corner, it wasn't. It was still about three months away in fact. Perhaps being alive so long had messed up his sense of time.
But there was still the Lantern Rite Festival which was coming up, maybe he could attend to that. It had been quite a long time since he had gone to one of them. Or even, had gone to Liyue.
He wondered how the geo archon, Morax, was doing these days. Was he still that blockheaded brute from all those years ago? Or what about his old friend? Guizhong, or whatever her name was, he wondered how she was doing too. The last time they had come face to face was during the destruction of Khaenri'ah, yet they only spoke a few sentences to each other during that war.
A few sentences then and haven't spoken since.
Or what about that adeptus of Guili Plains? The one that had survived off of the melodies played by the bard himself in the past. It had been a while since he had come face to face with him too.
He had always been so formal. Well, formal to everyone unless he was alone with the bard. Then he'd relax ever so slightly, most likely due to the fact that his music had once aided him greatly during battle. Maybe the presence that once brought him comfort during hard times still did, even though interactions between them were now dwindled down to none.
He was also intent to meet that other adeptus, the one that was part Qilin. She was just a baby when he had first met her. Maybe she had grown into a striving woman of Liyue, he really had no clue.
There must have been a lot of changes to Liyue in the hundreds of years he hadn't visited. And so, he made up his mind. He would visit Liyue and all the people he had long since seen. Especially that one adeptus he was particularly fond of, slightly more then all the others.
He looked over the streets of Mondstadt once more, although now with a new and interesting goal in mind.
A smile adorned his features as he picked up his lyre, yet this he held it with utmost care as he stood up.
Perhaps he should visit the tavern one last time before leaving for Liyue, after all he didn't know how long he would stay there. And besides, he'd like to say goodbye to a few of his drinking buddies rather then leaving without a trace.
And so, he tucked away his lyre and jumped off the statue's hands with confidence. His wing glider deployed only when he was meters away from the ground.
Tomorrow morning, that's when he would leave. It would surely allow him enough time for farewells.
The Lantern Rite was less then a week away, he wanted to meet everyone before the MingXiao lantern was released. Hopefully releasing one of his own on the last day.
Maybe, just maybe, his wish would be fulfilled.