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’Twas a quiet and tranquil winter evening. A calm spell had descended over the City of the Wind as the sun had set beyond the horizon. Stars were starting to twinkle against the backdrop of midnight blue sky. The cityscape was dotted with flickering lanterns, their warm glow illuminating the empty streets. Not a creature was stirring outside, for the chilly wind had picked up, and any sane citizen would rather be spending their time bundled up inside.
Mondstadt no longer had to weather any harsh winter storms, all thanks to the Anemo Archon. For He has blessed the lands of Mond with an ever-present pleasant breeze, so that the people would never have to suffer through cold and ruthless stormy gales again. And most importantly, the vineyards could flourish like nowhere else. Everyone was very thankful and showed their respect for the God of Wind in the form of offerings. Yet there was a certain grumpy, greedy tavern owner who refused to acknowledge the great blessing the almighty Archon had bestowed upon the people and so he also refused to part with his delicious wine-
”Venti.”
The bard stopped his tale and turned to the unimpressed barkeep with a sunny smile and a mischievous twinkle in his eye.
”Yes, Master Diluc?”
”If you will not stop bothering my paying customers with such nonsense, I will have you escorted out.”
Venti slammed a hand against his chest and gasped in mock offense. ”I am a paying customer, thank you very much!”
His claim was only met with an unamused stare and a lifted eyebrow.
”I pay with my tales and songs! People come far and wide to listen to the performances of the Most Popular Bard in Mondstadt”, Venti guffawed. ”I pay with the revenue you’re making thanks to my illustrious presence! So wouldn’t it be only proper that for my hard work you poured me another glass of glühwein?”
Venti’s sparkling puppy eyes and pleading face got covered with a rough palm as Diluc shoved the pest further away from his personal space. He decidedly ignored the surprised spluttering from the other.
For the winter season, Angel’s Share had started to sell glühwein; its more aromatic flavor profile a perfect fit for the chill evenings. This evening though, one local bard had taken upon himself to taste test not one, not two but at least a dozen glasses of the steaming beverage, so Diluc was already at his wit’s end.
”You’ve already drunk almost half of my stock for tonight. I’m not giving you a single drop anymore”, Diluc huffed, crossing his arms.
A whine. ”But Master Diluc! ’Tis the season of giving!”
”Yes, and I’m giving you one last warning before I kick you out. You still haven’t even paid off your ever-increasing tab, remember?”
”How cruel! Don’t you have any sympathy for lil’ ol’ me? I’m just a humble bard, who just happens to offer their services for free to attract more customers to this fine establishment—”
…
Suddenly Venti found himself outside the tavern with Diluc dusting off his hands and turning back to close the door behind him.
Ah, maybe he went a bit overboard this time…
When Venti woke up the next morning from his place atop of Vennessa’s tree, he noticed something shining among the roots. With a hop, skip and a jump he gracefully landed on the ground and to his surprise the item in question was a bottle. A bottle with a red ribbon and a familiar looking insignia adorning the side. Venti smiled to himself. Maybe he’ll visit the Dawn Winery with a basket of freshly picked apples today…