XLIV

"It hasn't even been that long and you're already leaving us? I'm hurt, dearest." But the smile on his lips betrays his pouting tone.

You scoff, your own content smile on your face. "Give me a break Kaeya. We've already been staying here for two weeks just resting and recuperating. I haven't even taken a single commission."

"It's a good thing you're not overworking yourself." Diluc's eyes are narrowed into a gentle glare, one that contains hidden worry more than anything else.

"Commissions are not that hard." You rolled your eyes. "I could do them by the time I got here."

"We wouldn't have let you, and you know Venti would've used the winds to corral you back home."

You sighed at the truth in Kaeya's words. "Yeah yeah. I get it."

"So, what's going on in Inazuma?" Kaeya leans his elbow against the bar counter, resting his chin in his palm.

You shrugged. "We're going for information and to see the cherry blossoms."

"You're not going for anything dangerous?"

"Alright." You sigh and throw your hands in the air. "I don't need the speech again. I'm not doing anything dangerous, it's just reconnaissance."

"Reconnaissance is dangerous." Diluc said flatly.

"I don't wanna hear it. Either we have nice goodbyes now so Aether, Ariel, Paimon, and I can set out early tomorrow, or I walk out because you both are being mean."

Kaeya huffs. "Caring about your well-being isn't mean, dearest. It's sensible."

"I thought he was the sensible one." You pointed to Diluc who only looked at you with a deadpan expression.

"No, he's the one with the stick up his ass."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm the responsible one-" He carries on despite Diluc's incredulous glare. "That's looking out for you."

You finally smile, touched by the sentiment of the two men who gaze at you with worry, but never stifle you. It makes you realize how, next to Venti, they were truly in the dark about when you first fell from the Jade Chamber. Two months asleep, in bad condition, with hardly any word, only knowing that you were hurt and couldn't do anything about it.

Abruptly, it hits you how grateful you are to have such people as friends. To have not only Kaeya and Diluc, but Venti and Xiao and Jinfeng and Aether and Ariel to care for and be cared for by, was beyond anything you had in your first life, which was filled with a semi-estranged relationship with your parents and acquaintances to distant to truly be called friends.

"Thank you," you say sincerely, maybe too suddenly serious for what the conversation was. "I really appreciate it."

The two looked at you with shock. Kaeya softened first, smiling genuinely and pulling you into a loose hug. "Just don't go getting yourself kidnapped again."

You scoffed playfully and pushed him away. "Am I ever going to live that down?"

"Unfortunately, not." Chimed Diluc. "It will be used as leverage for the foreseeable future."

You gaped at the redhead and turned back to Kaeya. "Stalker! Control your bartender! It sounds like he's gonna blackmail me."

"I don't know how you function." Diluc drawled. "You're more dramatic than him sometimes." Diluc gestured to Kaeya, only for said man to put a hand to his chest in faux hurt.

"How could you, Master Diluc?"

"Easily."

You chuckled at their banter, free from any kind of maliciousness. You had noticed throughout the time you've been in this world, their bond slowly began to grow closer, though never so close you'd think they'd call each other brother once more. But now, there was a lightness to their relationship. Where once, was bitterness and anger, there was teasing. Not to say they didn't have their moments. Diluc still pressed his lips in a hard line to stop himself from snapping at some miniscule thing Kaeya had said that bothered him, and more often than not the smile on Kaeya's face was stretched too wide, ingenuine and hiding the hurt you couldn't imagine.

"Alright." You caught their attention, bringing them away from their petty squabble. "I've got to head out now, early morning ya know?"

"Have a good sleep, not that you need any more energy." Diluc gave you a small smile. "Stay safe in Inazuma."

"I second that." Kaeya gathered you in one last hug. "And enjoy yourself."

"Thank you, both of you. I'll see you both on my next visit to Mond."

With a last sip of your glass of dandelion wine, the last glass you would have for a while, you were out the door of the tavern and on your way home.

-

At the border to Mond and Liyue, Venti and Xiao appeared.

Venti was in his bard clothes, his lyre hanging from his hip, and a cheeky grin on his lips. He had come to see you off at the border since you left the city early in the morning and he was too tired to get up so soon.

His arms wound around your neck as you leaned down to hug him around his waist. The scent of cecilia flowers invaded your senses, wrapping around you like Venti himself had, crowding you like a blanket to cover you in the smell.

When the two of you pulled back from each other, you missed the sly look the bard had sent to Xiao. "Maybe when you come back, you can preen my wings. I'm afraid I've neglected them for so long that I need a helping hand, or it may take hours to finish. Won't you help me [Y/n]?"

Smiling fondly at the bard's dramatics you nodded. "Of course, Venti. Your wings are very beautiful too, I'd like to see them again."

To your surprise, Venti blushed just as bright as his grin. With a quick kiss to your cheek and a heartfelt goodbye to yourself and the others (and another subtly smug look sent to Xiao that you didn't notice), Venti dissipated to a soft breeze, threading through your hair before disappearing altogether.

"What a dramatic-" You stopped in shock when you saw the looks on everyone's faces. Though Paimon was confused as ever, Aether and Ariel held a touch of... something (Anger? Shock? Incredulity?), and Xiao's face was twisted in a petulant scowl, his left eye twitching and arms crossed along his chest. His hands were curled into fists, his knuckles white, and his wings were spread out intimidatingly.

"Uhhhh... everyone good?"

"Fine." Xiao grumbled as he grasped your arm, pulling you to his chest. You hadn't even had the time to gasp when you both vanished in a cloud of green.

-

You and Xiao had reappeared at the Wangshu Inn, right on Xiao's balcony.

Now, you were sitting in one of the chairs that accompanied the table set out for the adeptus to use as he wished. Xiao himself was sitting on the railing, facing away from you. If you didn't know any better, you'd say he was pouting.

Footsteps up the stairs notified you of the arrival of the other members of your party, and soon there they were. Standing in the doorway leading to the balcony stood your angel, your brother and his little fairy, with now their own scowls. Aether's hands were on his hips, and it looked like he was two seconds away from going on some kind of rant, but, surprisingly enough, it was Ariel that stopped him, tension and discontent bleeding from his system as he sighed, shaking his head.

"We still have the rest of the day to get to Liyue Harbor. Someone had a very pleasant half-day rest, so they better be getting off their ass now."

You stood quickly with a sheepish laugh. "Well, I do have to mention that it isn't really my fault that-"

Ariel's glare had you snapping your mouth shut and walking to the doorway. A quick bye to Xiao was all you got before you were impatiently pushed out the door.

-

Making plans to join the "Crux Clash" took a lot less time than you thought it would've, mainly because you weren't there. A quick chat with Atsuko, and you knew Aether was headed to speak to Beidou and would soon enter the tournament. Having no interest in watching Aether beat the shit out of several people who were no match for him and go on a little treasure hunt to get back the masterless vision Kazuha put up for the prize, you chose to slink away.

You knew everything would go perfectly smoothly, and that was why you had no problem telling Aether you were going to meet up with somebody. Aether nodded skeptically, but let you go, Ariel trailing next to you.

"Where are we going now?"

Bumping his shoulder, you replied. "We are going to see Miss Jinfeng. I have an idea that will either be confirmed or denied by her. If it's denied, well, that'll really suck, but if it's confirmed, it'll be great."

"What idea?"

"You'll find out when we get there!" You said.

In no time at all you were standing in front of the Jiu Feng's shop, stepping through the doorway. "Miss Jinfeng! I have a book to return to you!"

"That's why we're here?"

"No, I just said we're here for something else."

"They why would you-"

"Well, I still have-"

"Hello [Y/n], invisible friend of [Y/n]." As if materializing from thin air, or just showing up when you weren't paying attention, Jinfeng stood in front of you looking pristine as ever. Her hands poised in front of her neatly, her russet hair in a pretty half up-half down style with the updo twisted and decorated with an extravagant jade pin, the rest of her hair in a pin straight curtain that fell near to her waist.

"Miss Jinfeng!" You said cheerfully. "How have you been?"

"More stressed than I've been in centuries." She looks you up and down, a displeased curl to your lip and you felt a familiar exhaustion come over you. "Someone was so well hidden by certain magicks when they got kidnapped that I had to deal with such an annoying block in my vision when looking for you."

"Actually, that's what I'm here to talk to you about!"

A small, yet unimpressed, frown on her face became present when you clumsily sidestepped her scolding. "Really?"

"Yeah, see, I had this idea - cus I don't really wanna be kidnapped again, that would be pretty bad for a lot of reasons - and I knew I should go to you, my resident vision expert, to see if it would work."

The frown slipped from her lips and was replaced by her eyes subtly widening. "Why don't we sit on the couch, hm?"

The three of you moved to gather on her silver couches, Ariel sitting next to you and Jinfeng across from you. She crossed her legs and straightened her back, looking at you with intrigue as she waited for you to begin.

"Okay," you started. "I didn't really know if this would work, but I think it could be really helpful in the future." At her encouraging nod you continued. "Is it possible to dream share? And if it is, would it be possible for me to dream share?"

Jingfeng showed no shock on her face, only tilting her head to the side so that her smooth hair fell over her shoulder. "Dream sharing is indeed very possible, quite a common practice among the Jiu Fengs, and... it may be possible for you."

"Really?"

"Mhm." She hummed, tapping her sharpened nail, talon now, you supposed, against her tanned hand. "It is clear to you that your nightmares were in fact visions and not dreams?" When you nod, she looks surer. "Then you must have an affinity for mental abilities. In this case being premonition, but through certain methods, you might be able to expand your mind further to allow for mental communication with others."

"Well, how do I do that?" You asked eagerly.

"Meditation is the most effective method." Jinfeng presses the pad of her finger to her lip in thought, lightly smudging the scarlet makeup painting her lips. "See, unlike those talented with telepathy, gathering information, or telekinesis, exerting mental energy to inflict a physical force without physical interaction, premonition is more of receiving information. Instead of you having any agency in actively gathering the information, it is simply being implanted into your mind. This makes your mind particularly flexible, as it is being infiltrated by an outside force.

What this means is, through deep meditation, you'll be able to connect with the flexible barrier of your mind, learning to allow and block certain information that tries to get implanted into you. You can also allow for other forces to enter your mind."

"Which means, by opening my mind, others with stronger mental abilities, ones that allow them to push instead of just stand there, like me, will be able to contact me?" You question. When she nodded, a bubble of excitement formed in your chest, growing by the minute. "So how do I... meditate?"

"Well, unfortunately, I have a client soon, so I can't show you, but you may borrow another book of mine?" Her voice was littered with amusement. "Just make sure to read this one. The book of dream and vision interpretation smells like a backpack from how little you opened it."

You laugh, embarrassed, as heat crawled up your cheeks. "Yeah, will do. I don't even know where to start with this, so I'll read every page. Swear."

"Good."

-

You left Jinfeng's shop with a book of meditation history, techniques, and more hooked under your arm and a spring in your step.