THE NORTHWEST WIND

how could a mortal forge a legend?

[predivinity]

independent rp blog for VARKA, knight of boreas. grandmaster of the knights of favonius, mentor to all who ask, "man who defied his fate", et cetera. canon-compliant, CN/JP characterisation, and caught up to patch 6.3. blog is private & mutuals only.

navigation: about ✦ verses ✦ memes ✦ threads ✦ kinklist

rules under the cut.

i'm a pro-shipper, hardblock me if that's an issue. no hard feelings!

writer is 21+. i'm down to write with minors as long as it stays sfw.

give me all the OCs and crosscanon interactions, thanks.

always open to asks + random starters from mutuals.

shipping / smut always OK, whether m/f, m/m, or m/nb. no bottom!varka. smut is tagged #nsft when applicable, but not placed under read more.

assumed relationships are also OK, whether platonic or romantic.

yeah i'll write whatever toxic shit you want, just lmk.

i unfollow blogs with excessive OOC posts.

i don't follow doubles, including multis with varka on them.

medium to slow tagger depending on RL stuff. backtags are my lifeblood.

happy to co-op on genshin with anyone who asks; here's my lineup! (asia only)

if we've threaded more than once feel free to ask for my discord 👍

[freedomwisp]

“I didn’t want to bother you at first, as you were so immersed in your work,” Venti admitted, walking around the table casually, like he hadn’t just practically appeared out of thin air in the small space between Varka and the window. He still remembered the first times he’d done it, and how Varka had reacted; the memories never failed to bring a smile to his lips.

“However, I saw your shoulders begin to rise towards your ears, so I figured a short break might be in order,” the bard added, taking a seat on the edge of the table amongst the papers, eyes scanning through the neatly written words.

He couldn’t even imagine how boring going through those stacks of papers would be.

Sure, he could appreciate a good poem and a written tale, but the same could not be said about the reports.

The man’s question was a valid one; after everything Varka had gone through, and as much as Venti had helped him, it wouldn’t wipe away the dread of fearing the world ending. Of the ground disappearing from beneath their feet, from the skies to rip open, and from more creatures of nightmares invading their lands.

“The people of Mondstadt are resilient,” Venti spoke with a certain type of fondness he always had when he was talking about his ‘children.’

“Even if our city were torn down in this world, I have no doubt in my mind that they would build a new one in another place. The people here are one huge family, and I know that they would stand as one, should that situation ever arise.”  

The bard grinned suddenly, stealing the cup from the table and taking a sip from the mead. “Besides, should the worst come, you always have me!”

[predivinity]

Like the wind he so aptly represented, Venti blew all the concerns in Varka's head away. It wouldn't last forever, and he was sure he'd be arrested with concern as soon as his head hit the pillow tonight (how strange it'd been, having a pillow again), but for the time being, it would be enough.

"We're home wherever the wind blows," he mused, sharp eyes following the curve of Venti's smile, "is that it?"

Varka'd comforted himself with the notion often during the long years he spent away. He supposed he could do the same even now that he was on Mondstadt's soil again.

"I can't say you're wrong." His own smile was soft, rife with fondness for his people and the god before him. "But..."

Varka took the stein back from Venti's grip, yanking it from the bottom to rest on his palm.

"That doesn't mean you can finish all my booze."

And, as if to make his point clear, Varka tipped the stein towards himself, touched his lips to its rim, and gulped whatever was left down. This time the drink came smooth, and once Varka set the container down, it was empty.

"If you're gonna stay, old friend, make yourself useful," he said, as proud and comfortable as he would be with anyone else. Varka picked two stacks of papers up, then cocked his head in the direction of the third.

"We can drink more once these're safely in the records room."

[predivinity]

"if you need anything, you know where to find me."

@hibernationden ( nealie ), catching up and checking in.

At that, Varka can't help the grin, and he looks over his shoulder where Nealie's watching him. "Oh, so you do want to see me again?"

He shouldn't, of course. The Knights of Favonius came to Nod-Krai for more noble reasons than this. But he's exhausted, and the Wild Hunt is a form of Abyssal energy he's never encountered before, and the potential destruction of his home is festering in the back of his mind like a wound. In all that muck, Nealie is a spot of brightness. He contemplates leaning over to kiss her again, and the only reason he doesn't immediately do so is because he's so terrible at flings to begin with.

I'll get attached, he thinks.

(He's already attached.)

"This is an open invitation, right?" Turning, Varka leans over, palm pressing onto the mattress to hold him up. "The kind where 'anything' means anything?"

His free hand brushes some of the hair out of her face. Damn, she really is cute.

[hawberries]

WELCOME HOME, GRANDMASTER VARKA!!!

Good luck on your pulls today, everyone!

[predivinity]

sometimes i think about what will happen if we fail, and it terrifies me.

@freedomwisp, catching up and checking in.

Then don't think about it, Varka almost ends up saying, but what comes out of his mouth is: "Ah, you're really gonna throw that out there before I even get to drink?"

The pile of finished paperwork to his left had been forgotten in lieu of the stein grasped in his fingers, but Venti (Barbatos, he finds himself musing, as novel now as it was all those years ago) has a way of stealing all of his attention even from alcohol. Something about gods amongst men, maybe, and being chosen to know him, but that's a topic Varka doesn't bother entertaining when he's stone cold sober.

"I was wondering if you were reading over my shoulder," he says, looking down at the ripples forming in his drink. "You could've asked, you know. I wouldn't have minded handing some of this nonsense over."

Finally, he takes that first gulp of mead, but it doesn't travel down as smoothly as he'd hoped. Home was supposed to feel better than this; he's grateful, of course, and glad to have survived, but everything in Nod-Krai had left him with as many questions as it did answers. His hair would grey at this rate, he fears; worrying is exhausting work.

Varka takes another drink, then swallows. "There's a whole other world besides the Teyvat I know, isn't there?"

He thinks of false skies and real moons-- of Andrius, and Columbina Hyposelenia, and the scorched land of Khaenri'ah built by the hands of man.

"I'm not bothered, per se," he admits, only half-lying, "but tell me there'll still be a place for Mondstadt when all these lies fade away.

"That'd make it all worth it."

[mcflymemes]

PROMPTS FOR CATCHING UP AND CHECKING IN *  assorted dialogue for pauses in the action when you need to check to see if they're okay, adjust as necessary

are you holding up all right?

thought i should stop by, see if you were okay.

you know, you haven't spoken in a minute.

you're starting to worry me.

is this thoughtful silence, or worried silence?

can i get you anything?

i'm perfectly all right.

sometimes i think about what will happen if we fail, and it terrifes me.

you can stop worrying about me now.

you had a moment back there.

what was all that yelling about?

i've worried about you since day one.

can we sit down?

you might feel better if you talk to me about it.

i was hoping we could catch up.

there's a lot more going on than i expected.

it's starting to get to me.

tell me the truth. are you all right?

i'm not a hero. i don't know why i'm doing this.

i can tell when you're lying to me, pretending everything's okay when it's not.

you're a horrible liar.

what was that all about?

i heard you yelling.

it sounded like an argument to me.

what's on your mind?

something's clearly bothering you.

can you just sit still?

you've never been honest with me.

they said you needed to talk to me?

i can tell when you're lying. i can see it in your face.

i know you better than you know yourself.

spill. everything.

that's not what it looked like from here.

i don't want to talk to anyone.

can you leave me alone for a while?

thanks but no thanks.

is this your way of checking on me?

who put you up to this?

if you'd just been honest with me from the start, we wouldn't be here.

when they said you were out here, i thought i'd stop by, see how you were doing.

you don't have to handle all of this by yourself, you know.

there are people who really care about you, who want to see you succeed.

think about the people who love you.

i don't like seeing you struggle this way.

i could use a shoulder to cry on right about now.

i just feel so lost.

everything is riding on me, and i'm not used to that.

there's too much responsibility on my shoulders right now.

thanks for letting me vent a little.

i didn't mean to word vomit.

you make it easy.

i feel like i can trust you.

no one understands me but you.

thank you for giving me a chance to speak.

thank you for stopping by to see me.

you should come by more often.

the battle's not over.

we still have work to do.

i trust you'll be ready for the final battle?

tomorrow's a big day. you should get some rest.

if you need anything, you know where to find me.

it will feel better if you just come right out and say it.

no one should ever carry the burden you do.

i think the world of you.

what do they say? this too shall pass.