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Barbara can't help but smile fondly as she stares at the pile of various items scattered on her bed. She had just finished opening all of her gifts that she got for her birthday while seated on her mattress and it warms her heart knowing that everyone really took a lot of effort just for her.
There's a new dress from her mother, a locket from her father (that he already gave to her in advance before he left on an expedition with Master Varka), a stainless bottle for her Chilibrew from the Traveler, a handmade handkerchief with a little Baron Bunny embroidered at the corner from Amber, a few coupons of free drink from Kaeya, a cook book from Lisa, a bag of cookies personally baked by Noelle, a drawing made by Klee, a portrait of herself sketched by Albedo, a potion that helps clear sore throats from Sucrose, a good luck charm from Bennett, a basket of Red Wolfhooks from Razor, a pair of shoes from Diluc and many other things from her fans and coworkers in the church.
While she appreciates every present she received, her favorite of them all is definitely the one she got from her older sister. Jean had given her a music box that plays her song and she really likes listening to it ever since.
Then among the pile, she notices the picture that they took during her small party this afternoon in the Angel's Share and grabs it. All of her closed friends were there and smiling in front of Lumine's Kamera.
Everything is almost perfect.
Almost.
Because despite of it all, something is missing.
No.
Not something but someone.
She sighs and stares outside her bedroom window. The night sky above indicates that it's getting late and her birthday is ending soon.
He probably won't come at all, she concludes.
It's been almost three weeks since she last saw him and it was also during his birthday, ironically. She had always known that the bard is difficult to get a hold of as he only comes and goes in the city as he pleases like the wind. Really, he embodies the element of his Vision so much.
She tells herself that it's fine. He's probably busy or something. It's not like he's required to but still, just a greeting from him would have been enough. In fact, he could have sent her a letter and she'll appreciate it just the same.
But there wasn't any sign of him.
Many months before, she wouldn't have mind since they aren't that close even though he is friends with her sister. To her, he's just another bard whom she likes to listen to since his singing voice is really amazing. But that's all there is to it.
However, things had been different. She got the chance to know more about him during their summer vacation a few weeks back after he saved her. And since then, he became an important friend to her.
Which is why even though she tries to deny it, she can't help but be upset that he didn't even showed up at the party with everyone. She was hoping that things would get better after their newfound friendship and that she would at least get to hang out with him from time to time even now that they are back here in Mondstadt.
But she surmises that it's only a wishful thinking on her part.
She shakes her head then stands up from her bed and makes her way towards the open window. The cool evening breeze immediately greets her but, thankfully, she still has her robe on so it's bearable. She can see from her room in the Favonius Cathedral the lights coming from every household in their beloved City of Freedom gone out one by one as families turn in for the night. And she knows that she should, too.
There's no point in waiting for nothing.
But then she also remembers something the he had said to her before that one night.
"No matter what happens, I will be beside you. Don't worry."
She feels more despondent. Did he really mean it? Or was it all just dream?
"You said you'll stay by my side... You liar," she mumbles.
"Who's a liar?"
"Eeeek!" She shrieks when suddenly someone replies to her.
She turns and finally saw the person she's been hoping to see after many weeks. Sitting haphazardly on the overhang of the church outside her window is Venti who only grins at her as always, acting like not a day has passed since they last met.
"Ehe! A pleasant evening to our darling deaconess~"
She doesn't respond. She couldn't believe that he's actually here. She should really be happy right now but then she's also mad because it took him long enough.
So instead, she quickly shuts her windows and pulls her curtains into a close.
"Eh! Barbara?" He calls out to her while knocking on her window but she only leans on the wall beside it in silence.
She knows she's being childish but she can't help it. He's behaving as if he never disappeared for a long time without saying goodbye... again. To think, she was really worried about him especially after what happened to him a few weeks back.
But then she hears him let out a sigh. "Sorry, Barbara. It's seems like I caused you a lot of trouble again. I guess, I should just get going. I'm gonna jump off of this ledge now."
Her eyes widen.
Hold on.
Jump?
But they are on the fourth floor right now!
"Goodbye." He says.
She starts panicking and immediately pushes away the curtains and begins turning the handle of her glass window to unlock it just to stop him.
"Wait, Mr. Bard!"
Someone grabs her hand.
"Caught you~" He gives her his usual mischievous grin as he's now standing on the ledge and leaning on her window frame while her heart beats faster than normal.
She blinks.
Did he just prank her?
She begins fuming. "You! You're were only lying!"
"Eh, I wasn't at all. I was really gonna jump and glide my way down." Then looks at her curiously. "What else were you thinking I was gonna do?"
She blushes when she realizes that he's right. She was only worried for nothing. Also add another fact that he's an Anemo-user so he can definitely use his element to cushion his landing.
"I-I was mistaken."
"Really now?"
"Yes. So you can take your leave."
"Oh! I think I get it. Was the deaconess worried about me?"
"No."
"Aww. Not even a smidgen?"
"Please. If you only want to make fun of me, just leave me alone!" She tries to pull her hand away from him but he doesn't let go.
"No. I don't want to," he says seriously.
She stops struggling and only stares at him.
"I really am sorry, Barbara. I just want to make it up to you. So please don't turn me away."
The sincerity in his eyes makes her feel guilty and so she nods.
He quickly beams at her. "I'm glad. Well then, let's go. I need to show you something~"
"Where?"
He only winks at her. "You'll soon find out!"
He pulls her outside her window and into the overhang just like him. He then proceeds to carry her in bridal style.
And that's when she starts to pale.
Are they going to jump?!
But she didn't carry her glider with her and his won't be able to handle two people's weights at the same time. It's why the rule book for gliding banned it in the first place!
"Hold on. I need to get my glider first!"
"Don't worry! No need for it. Now hold on tight!"
"Wait—"
But he already took a leap and all she can do is scream as she closes her eyes and grabs unto him for her dear life while waiting for an impact. However, it never came as a huge creature immediately swoop down and caught them.
"Right on queue. Thanks, Dvalin!"
The divine dragon only grunts at him before proceeding to soar in the night sky.
Even though, she had already rode on the Stormterror a couple of times now since he took them to the Golden Apple Archipelago, she still can't get used to it.
The bard might have noticed her uneasiness as she still hasn't let go of his cloak.
"Are you scared of heights?"
"No, but I'm scared of falling."
"Eh, don't worry about it, Dvalin would never allow us to fall. Right?"
The dragon sighs then replies with a deep voice, "Yes." It still amazes her how he's able to make one of the Four Winds obey his commands.
"See! Besides you have me, this bard will never let you get hurt."
That finally took away the remaining fear in her heart as she lets go of him.
It was then that she decides to look down below and was beyond flabbergasted to the view. She wasn't able to enjoy it before but now seeing the whole Mondstadt from the sky is really beyond breathtaking. The street lamps scattered everywhere were like tiny stars but on the ground.
"It's so beautiful!"
"Ehe! Glad you like it. But there's something else I want to show you!"
"This isn't what you were referring to?"
"Nope. Something better... At least, I hope." He suddenly doesn't sound so sure and that got her eyebrows raised.
"I swear it 100% safe and I'm not pranking you on this one."
"Alright..."
"But I want you to close your eyes first."
She frowns. "Are you sure you're really not planning on something dangerous?"
He raises both of his hands. "Yes, I swear to Lord Barbatos' name."
Well, at least, she can trust him on that. She's sure that he won't go back on his word since Dvalin, the Wind Archon's companion, also heard it. And so she closes her eyes.
She can tell that they are starting to descend somewhere and from the sound she could hear like the animals and monsters in a far distance, they are definitely in the wild. She just doesn't know where exactly though.
Once landed, Venti takes her hand and slowly guides her to the ground. She can feel the grass brushing to her feet even while wearing her slippers. He then starts walking and still carefully leading her. He hasn't told her to open her eyes yet so she continues to follow him without seeing anything. However, she notices that she is also stepping on some huge roots and big rocks while hearing the sound of a flowing water.
Finally, he stops. "We're here! You can open your eyes now."
She follows and when she did, she sees that they are now standing under the huge ancient oak tree in Windrise with Anemo crystalflies flying around them.
But there's something very different.
Hanging on the branches are dozens and dozens of Small Grass Lamps illuminating the whole tree with a soft bluish glow that almost made the leaves have the same shade of color.
That's when she realizes something. She raises her hand to her mouth in shock and tears start to form at the corner of her eyes as she watches the "blue" tree in front of her.
Beside her, the bard also stares at the tree and smiles gently. "Someone told me that a certain idol wants to see the blue trees from Inazuma. Sadly, it's pretty dangerous there at the moment so even if I could take her to that place, I don't want to put her in harm's way. Which is why if I can't take her to the blue tree, well, I'll just have to take the blue tree to her, right?"
Overwhelmed with so many emotions, she hugs him while sobbing uncontrollably. "T-Thank you! Thank you so much, Mr. Bard! I-I don't know what else to say! I'm so happy right now."
"I'm glad you like your gift. But please don't cry anymore." He gently wipes the tears under eyes. "Crying doesn't suit such lovely face. Won't you agree?"
She reddens and lets go as she tries to compose herself. "S-Sorry about that."
"Hehe. Well, that's the original plan." He shrugs. "But it's illegal for me to literally uproot a cultural heritage so I had to improvise. Unfortunately, I had to do everything tonight since Grass Lamps only glow in dark and once picked they don't light up for long so that's why I was late. Sorry. Look, some of it are fading." And gestures on one branch and true enough, the light is already gone on a few of the flowers.
"Still, I'll never forget this moment. It might have only been brief but this memory is already forever etched in my mind. That's why..." She beams at him through tears. "Thank you!"
He doesn't reply immediately and only stares at her before finally settling on a smile himself. "You're always welcome, Barbara."
He suddenly grabs her hands and turns serious. "About before, I really meant what I said when I told you that I will always there for you but maybe not physically. Things... are still complicated on my end. But whenever you need me, just call for me. No matter where you are, I will always come and find you."
"How will you be able to do that?"
"The winds have ears."
She only tilts her head in confusion which makes him chuckle.
"That's a secret for now. But will you trust me on this?"
"Yes." Then she squeezes his hand in return. "But one day, if you're ready, will you finally tell me everything?"
He looks conflicted for a moment but still nods. "I will. But I hope that when the time comes, you won't change your opinion on me."
She smiles. "If it's you, I know I'll be able to understand it and even if it's hard, I will try my best."
"That's reassuring."
"But please take care of yourself, okay? You can even send me letters if you are away. You don't have to tell me every details, I just want to know if you are doing well so I won't have to worry."
"Alright. I will. Thank you for understanding, deaconess. That means a lot."
"Of course, it's what friends are for, right?"
He smirks mischievously. "For now."
"Eh?"
He only laughs as he let go and turns towards the tree. Most of the lights emitted from the flowers have already faded sadly. "Well, we should take you back home. I still need to clean this up or the Knights of Favonius will have my head tomorrow. Oh, wait, is it later?"
She giggles. "Well, do you want me to help?"
"No, I can't. I already kidnap you from the cathedral and if I even have you work now in your sleepwear, Master Jean will probably have me tortured with cats or something." He shudders. "Besides it's your special day, you need to rest."
"Oh. Okay," Then she fidgets with her hands. She's a bit disappointed that she was only able spend a short time with him, especially when she doesn't know when she will be seeing him again.
And there's also that nagging fear at the back of her mind that he will disappear forever from her life...
She clutches on the fabric of her robe tighter. "I will still be able to see you, right?"
"Of course. I'll be here for a while. Let's go?"
"Yes."
"Oh, by the way, before I forget." He grins. "Happy birthday, Barbara!"
She smiles in return. "Thanks, Mr. Bard."
"Someday, when all of these are over, I'll take you to see the real blue trees."
Just like that, the worry she felt dissipates. That's right. He'll still be here. Now and even in the long future, definitely.
Her eyes twinkle brightly. "I'll look forward to it!"
Even though tonight might have started with misunderstandings, in the end everything still falls into place. Even if she also didn't exactly got her dream, she is still with the person she wants to see the "blue" tree with. And even if there are still secrets left in the dark, she knows everything will be reveal in right time.
It's fine if it wasn't so perfect because a little bit of mishaps can still provide a memory worth remembering. And tonight is definitely one of those; an almost perfect day that she will never forget.
A day after Barbara's birthday, a note is found tucked between the window panes of the deaconess' room in the church. It contains the following written poem:
To our dear darling deaconess,
May your days be forever blessed.
May the light in your eyes continue to shine,
May you shower with favors from the divine.My your heart remain loving and pure
And all your wishes come true for sure.
May happiness be found at your doorstep,
And all the promises made to you be kept.May the winds blow away your sadness,
For a girl such as you deserve all the best,
This is just a simple wish from your friend,
That all good things for you would never end.