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It was when Aether started babbling off for far too long that Scaramouche got suspicious. The blonde rattled off almost anything that came to mind, even something as small as seeing a colorful bird up in the trees he felt as if he had to tell Scaramouche about.
It was as if he was trying to get Scaramouche to pitch in with his own blabber, to get him to speak.
Scaramouche thinks back to how he even ran into the traveler, and it makes him pause in place. Aether, who had been walking alongside him- pauses as well and gives him a questioning head tilt.
Scaramouche looks away from the jungle around them, eyes locking onto Aether’s as the blonde blinks in feigned obliviousness.
“When you ran into me this morning… Why were you even at that location?” Scaramouche questions, “I know you have the habit of wandering off and getting lost, but…” He moves his hand in front of him, gesturing for Aether to explain.
Aether falters for a moment, before simply smiling and shaking his head. “I wasn’t looking for you. If that’s what you were thinking.” He brings a hand up to his chin, thinking. “I was just… Letting my feet take me wherever. Going in one direction and hoping I ended up somewhere new. But then I found you!” He chirps out, almost too enthusiastically.
It makes Scaramouche’s eyebrow raise. “Then you chose to talk my ears off, saying nothing of substance.” His nose scrunches in distaste, “You never talk for so long. I would have had to start reading your hands halfway through your ramble.”
“Reading my…” Aether pauses, then realization sparks in his eyes- along with something blue that Scaramouche catches with an eye twitch. “Oh!” Aether signs a ‘Hehe’ with his hands, and laughs as soon as he does. “I’m just feeling more confident today, is that so bad?”
Scaramouche only stares him down judgingly. As much as he would want for that to be true, for Aether to truly come out of his shell and be comfortable like that- it would mean that he earned the blonde’s trust and he… Still had a long way to go with that.
This wasn’t a reality, not yet. Scaramouche doesn’t know if it will ever be.
“We should keep walking! I have so many reasons to keep talking,” Aether snickers at his own words, opening his mouth then to say something else- only to meet Scaramouche’s hardened gaze. “...You look…” Aether frowns, “I-”
“You’re not Aether, are you?” Scaramouche looks him up and down once, staring into his eyes with something fragile- yet angered.
Aether’s eyes would widen, then darken for a split moment- something that Scaramouche still catches, before the blonde smiles up at him with his eyes turning blue rather than gold. “What gave it away? Ehe.” He questions in a voice not his own.
Scaramouche inhales sharply, “For one, Aether never talks as much as you do.” He takes a step forward, “Two, the shine in your eyes was blue.” Another step, “Three, Aether has whined to me before about how much you rhyme. You slipped up, Venti.”
Venti, still in the form of Aether- tilts his head thoughtfully up to Scaramouche. “Aether told me he loved my rhymes.”
Scaramouche scoffs, “He does.” He watches Venti raise a hand to grab at his blonde braid, running his fingers through it with a sad smile. “Just not when you’re drunk.”
Venti huffs out a laugh at that, shaking his head. “Well, you got me.” He chirps out, “Aether has talked to you a lot about me then, huh?”
“...That doesn’t matter.” Scaramouche bats Venti’s hand away from the braid, making the bard sigh. “Why are you impersonating him?”
“...Ehe…” Venti’s laugh is rather pitiful, Scaramouche thinks with his eyes squinting.
He ignores the pit in his stomach forming at something else Aether had told him before about Venti- that Venti’s form wasn’t his own.
That Venti took the form of his dead friend hundreds of years ago.
No, Venti had been far too enthusiastic- he seemed upset now, but why talk to him so much if Aether was dead?
It had to be something else.
“Aether talks to me about you as well.” Venti says then, eyes going soft. “I suppose I just wanted to see what you were like. He was right about you being grumpy.” The bard pokes at Scaramouche’s vision, making the other take a step back in offense. “Ehe.” He smiles, eyes crinkling in amusement. “I gave you that, you know.”
Scaramouche’s nose flares. “Yes, I do.” He rolls his eyes, hand coming up to cover the vision on his chest. “I don’t care that you’re Barbatos- or that you gave me this vision.” He hisses out, “Is Aether okay?”
Venti’s eyes widen, “Oh!- …..Oh.” Scaramouche watches as the realization sinks in, “He told you that?” Venti ponders, looking to the ground. “He really does trust you then.”
“For fucks sake,” Scaramouche inhales angerly, “Is he okay?”
“Yes!” Venti responds quickly, hands in the air. “As close as I am to Aether, I swore to him I would never take his form if he were to die. Messing with others however… Well, that’s not off the table.” He giggles out, but those giggles die out rather quickly at Scaramouche’s stone cold expression. “I… Apologize if that scared you. If I knew he told you that…” Venti frowns.
Scaramouche exhales a defeated sigh, expression not going soft- but relaxing somewhat. “Where is he right now?”
“Huh-? Oh, Aether?” Venti’s frown deepens, “I.. Scared you that much, huh?” The bard shakes his head, looking into the forest. “I can sense him outside of a Cafe in Sumeru City eating with Paimon, he’s in good health.” He reassures, a smile coming back as he sees Scaramouche’s further relieved gaze.
“...I don’t care if you made a promise to Aether about never taking his form, never do that to me again.” Scaramouche says sternly, expression sincerely upset- but then it falters. “I can’t lose him too.”
At seeing Scaramouche so… Fragile, Venti lets out a soft sigh as guilt starts to eat at him. His form finally changes back to his own rather than Aether’s, and his smile turns more sympathetic. “I know.” He raises a hand, feeling his own twin braids.
…
“I can’t either.” He whispers, “Which is a reason why I always follow him through the wind, I suppose… Along with, well…” Venti twirls his braid around his finger, “He won’t be too happy when he finds out I use his form to get to know people he knows to make sure they won’t hurt him.”
Scaramouche’s eyebrows raise. “Even I wouldn’t do that.” He pauses, looking off to the side though as he seems to think of something. “To say I haven’t hurt someone for him however…”
Venti lets out a surprised laugh at that, eyes shining in amusement. “Aether told me you two were fighting before! Whatever happened to that?” He questions lightheartedly.
“....We still fight.” Scaramouche pouts, bringing a hand up to pull his hat down over his head a little- “He’s just….” He struggles to find the words- “.....He’s too bright.”
“He is quite the star, isn’t he?” Venti says ever so fondly, “A shining, shooting star.”
“...Shut up.” Scaramouche sighs deeply, irritation clearly getting back into his head. “I’m leaving. Don’t follow me.” He says, a threat behind his words but awfully weak as he turns away from the bard- using Anemo to fly as fast as he can so he wouldn’t have to bear this situation any longer.
Venti only watches, not making another comment as he knows where he’s going- and he wouldn’t stop him.
The bard lowers his hand away from his braids, and despite his guilt from earlier along with suspicion of Scaramouche- well,
He approves of him.
He gave Scaramouche an Anemo vision, after all. How could he not approve of him?
Venti saw the inside of his very core, his determination along with the loss of who he was before- yes, Scaramouche was certainly an angry soul. But, he had a light.
So no. Venti won’t stop Scaramouche from going to the cafe and making sure for himself that Aether is truly okay, because he understands the trust issues.
It was hard not to relate, especially when it came to someone like Aether.
It is a little surprising when later, as he sits upon the tallest tree and looks down to where he sensed Aether to be- the blonde has Scaramouche in a tight hug, gently petting at his hair as he looks a little conflicted.
And when Aether suddenly spots him in the tree, Venti smiles and waves- earning an eye roll and for Scaramouche to separate from the hug. The little ball of anger looks in his direction, immediately getting in a defensive position as he eyes Venti with something akin to blood lust. It was certainly forced, Venti thinks as he stands on the branch, sticks his tongue out at him, then flees.
He’s very pleased when he hears Aether letting out a laugh and Scaramouche complaining to him as he goes, it meant Aether wasn’t upset with him- likely more entertained than anything and Scaramouche was being angry on his behalf.
And Aether is awfully stubborn, so he can imagine he’s only letting Scaramouche rant rather than chase him down.
Not that he would chase him down.
Venti giggles to himself, he won’t be able to take on Aether’s form again because of this. But, at least he knows that Scaramouche has it handled.
//art by me! ^-^
