[ SOARING HEIGHTS - BIRD’S EYE ]
It was only a matter of time before Venti found the bar.
The Bird’s Eye was lively and loud, as a good bar should be. Patrons chatted and shared drinks, cheering on various games of darts along one side of the bar. He scanned the counter and tables, trying to find an empty spot or a new friend, and hoooly Barbatos, was that Morax?
Indeed it was - the Geo Archon himself was sitting at a table, quietly people-watching as he always did. What a happy coincidence! Maybe Venti could wheedle Morax into buying him a drink.
Hoping Morax hadn’t already noticed him, he quietly snuck around the back of the bar and slowly approached from behind. As soon as he was close enough, Venti reached out and covered Morax’s eyes with his hands. “Ehe. Guess who~?”
Atmosphere played a large role in the success of any establishment. Therefore, it could not be denied that the Bird’s Eye must be something seen as desirable. The music rattling overhead was a touch too loud, too fast to be kept up with between the boisterous cheer between tables playing games, drinking, enjoying dinners.
The light was set too low for an average person to read without the candle set on the table, yet Zhongli had picked his way back to this place, this specific table. Though it was a far cry from the quiet, peaceful setting he was used to…there was merit. Joy. His attention danced around the room, content to draw the energy of the room with observation alone.
Until his vision went dark. He let out a breath, still as stone against the slight chill of their hands, the telltale breeze that has hair grazing his cheek. It’s enough to have his posture relax a fraction. Many anemo users often called their element carelessly ( an extension of their predecessor, perhaps ), though few could master it with such ease, where the wind asked to jump by proximity alone.
Then, the obvious. Very few would have the nerve to handle Zhongli so casually. If he were to find it charming, he had centuries of experience telling him to keep the information to himself.
It earned a rare scowl, gone as soon as he moved to pull the other’s hands away. “Barbatos,” It lacked insult, surprise bleeding through all else to see such a familiar figure so far from home. They hadn’t shared company in…too long, and Venti’s eyes seemed clear and free of inebriation. Good. “I shouldn’t be surprised to find you here. The alcohol, the music," A shake of the head, but Zhongli would call himself...content. Moments like these were thousands of years in between one another, to sit in the company of another Archon, free to speak his name so plainly. "If you are drinking, then let it be in the company of an old friend.”
A hand swept outward, gesturing to a chair while his eyes caught the bartender – too easily, they must have been watching the exchange. “You’ll find the wine different from Teyvat’s capabilities. I’m interested in your opinion, naturally, and in what has brought you to this world.” The bottle of wine in the bartender’s hand hesitated for seconds too long. Nervous, eyeing Zhongli’s companion as if to ask can he even drink?
Whatever flashed in Zhongli’s gaze had the bottle hitting the table to a hasty retreat.