#* RE : WINDBARDS / the only thing worse than a boy who hates you : a boy that loves you .

[royalstorm]

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enjoy : @wanmins , @windbards , @soulcontracts , @hyvoc

[royalstorm]

‘ are you in love with me yet? ’  /  question starters (accepting) .

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

Voila ... a coy response from a coy girl ... nothing that the bard wouldn’t have expected himself. Yet, even as she punctuates it with a playful scoff, its overall delivery had been lacking in spunk and conviction. 

It’s half-assed teasing at best, and Keqing is known to never do things in halves.

She wrings her hands behind her back and keeps her gaze pointed on the ground. It’s all she could hope to do if she wishes to temper the deafening bray of her heart. “Tell me, Venti ... is love a sensation that is effortful? Or should it feel as automatic as breathing?”

@windbards​ .

[royalstorm]

‘ what did you dream of? ‘  /  question starters (accepting) .

His voice is the sound that prompts her to stir — eyes fluttering open, her lips abuzz with a confused hum. Even amidst her grogginess, it isn’t all that difficult for her to figure out where she is.

Mondstadt. Keqing spends what little free time she has strolling down its quaint cobblestone streets. At that moment, however, she’s curled up in a patch of grass ... likely somewhere on the outskirts of the city. 

She’s also quick to register that she isn’t alone ... but fortunately, the doe-like, blueish-green gaze gaping at her is a comfort, as is the lap she’d inadvertently used as a pillow. 

“Hey.” Hoarse is the voice that resounds in the air ... something that Keqing remedies with a faint cough. She props her head up off of her companion’s lap and takes to sitting upright beside him instead. “Sorry that I knocked out like that ... again.” An apologetic smile flickers on her lips, as she tends to tangled, wayfaring strands of her bedhead. Venti’s probably caught onto her slipping back into her workaholic ways — the habit that she could never seem to break.

Yet, that isn’t what he addresses once she’s regained all her bearings. He instead asks her, in that awed, gentle voice the Yuheng had grown fond of ...

“What did you dream of?”

At first, all she can do is laugh. It’s free and clear, like a tinkering of bells — a mannerism that came by easily in Venti’s presence. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” begins her teasing reply ... but of course, of course, of course, she would tell him. He’s the only one who would listen and the only one she’d want listening, anyway.

“The dream I had ... it’s almost as if it'd come out of the pages of a fantasy book. I was exploring Liyue Harbor, but ... everything was different —” Violet eyes widen, winsome and bordering childlike. “ — Everything was ... how I want it to be. My new vision of Liyue.” Here, her once dopey grin grows in size and in sincerity. “In this new vision of mine, nobody hurt. I figure that may sound foolish coming from a skeptic such as myself, but ... it’s as if everyone was bright and beaming. Every merchant met their quota, every child and family was fed ... no longer did people loiter on the streets without shelter or money. And —” 

The enthralled expression upon Keqing’s features softens here. Her eyes grow mild. “ — Your adeptus allies ... they roamed free among the people — people like me. They were not isolated from the ones they’d protected for a millennia, nor were they regarded as beings beyond our humane understanding. Each of them had a new purpose. Each of them had a home. None of them had to suffer anymore. We were united by a sense of togetherness. We all coexisted ... happily.” 

Tenderness continued to adorn her visage for a few more moments, as she savored each last detail of the dream she’d just shared. Had Keqing been alone or in the company of another mortal such as herself ... it would have been impossible to divulge these sentiments. It’s as she had just verbalized: skepticism was a defining part of her character ... for her to outright condemn the Qixing’s divine, adepti predecessors and then, all of a sudden, welcome their existence with open arms — it would ruin her credibility. 

The Liyuen people had already been divisive with their perspective of her. There’s still so much more she had to accomplish before this new vision of her could be realized.

For now, however, Keqing would relish in her mirth — raw with no rhyme or reason. She could cherish the fact that her vision is no longer confined to the chambers of her mind; someone else — someone special — had access to it now, as well. 

That’s what she resigns herself with, as this impression is stowed away ... for now. She flexes her hand and gingerly intertwines her fingers with Venti’s. 

Keqing could dream all night. But the dream she’s living now, in the form of a soul that’s sweet and soft to the touch, couldn’t wait any longer.

@windbards​ .

[royalstorm]

“aaaand done!” he puts the brush down, tilting his head ever so slightly as he examines his work. venti was actually quite surprised when keqing agreed to let him do her makeup (after all, he wasn’t known to wear very much of it himself, so his practice was minimal). lifting up the handheld mirror so she could see his work, he does his best to stay optimistic even though she may not like it. “what do you think?”

Keqing peers into the mirror, humming curiously — excitedly — as she inspects her companion’s work. For someone who rarely got dolled up himself, he certainly had a lighter hand than she’d anticipated. 

Whether or not that has any bearing on his status as the anemo archon is something she would dismiss, at least to his benefit.

Gloss-tinted lips spread into a smile, first at her reflection and then at Venti, who’s quietly hovering over her. “Either you're a liar or a legitimate makeup prodigy.” Her gaze reunites with that of her mirror image’s. Maybe the contour hadn’t been blended thoroughly enough, and maybe the eyeshadow is somewhat creased at the corners, but overall ... she’s happy with the way she looks — happy with the colors he had chosen, happy with the way he had brandished them on her eyelids, happy with the fact that he had been willing to do her makeup to begin with.

“In all seriousness, you did a wonderful job. I never would’ve figured that yellow would look this nice on me.” A chuckle imbues Keqing’s breath as she rises from her seat — all lively and aglow with a gratitude she hadn’t felt in weeks. She then leans forth and presses a chaste kiss to the bard’s cheek. “Thank you, Venti.”

@windbards​ .