[closed] so let's make a decision, start a new religion

[concierto]

Who: Venti & Friends
Which: Closed Log
Where: Where these threads happen
What: A closed catch-all for the month of October! Any planned closed threads will go here. If you would like to plan anything with Venti you can find my ooc plotting comment here. Or you can also just throw down a starter, I don't mind!
Warnings: nsfw.

Comments

[concierto]

Ehe?

[What a curious thing to see right in front of him. Venti watches on with a bit of awe from the ground.]

Wanderer? What is it that you're doing?

[Is that ... an ugly doll of the Raiden Shogun?? Man, he'd rip that uggo thing apart too, so... legit.]

[threebetrayals]

This...thing has been following me all day!

[The plushie vanishes, only to reform.]

And I don't know why or what it wants.

[concierto]

[Venti tilts his head in mild concern and confusion.]

A doll of... [Why, Ei? Well, he can hagger a few guesses.] Perhaps it's looking to spook you?

[threebetrayals]

Spook me? With her face and his mask?

[Wanderer scoffs, but...clearly it's unsettling him.]

It'll have to try harder than that.

[concierto]

[Venti lets out a small sigh.]

Luckily, it is only a doll.

[Just a doll! Harmless! ... Right?]

[threebetrayals]

Except it's not, is it. If it's just a doll, then why is it following me?!

[concierto]

I can only think it's because it's something- or someone- that you dislike very much.

[threebetrayals]

"Dislike". [Another scoff.] Sure. That's a word for it, I guess. "Despise" might be closer.

[concierto]

Very strong words nonetheless! But I wonder... Why now? And why you?

[threebetrayals]

If you can figure it out--go away!

[The doll floats closer to Wanderer, almost looming over him somehow. He tries to knock it away, but it just floats back.]

[concierto]

[What a weird little doll. Venti isn't too sure what's happening here but it's not like he can just continue to let this little doll bother Wanderer.

He uses a flourish of anemo to float up to the two of them. When he's next to the doll he gives it a little poke. Boop.]

How curious. It isn't exactly scary... It's almost cute.

[threebetrayals]

Cute? How is an unholy abomination crossed between Dottore and that witch cute?!

[concierto]

[Opp.]

Cute in an ugly and terrible way, of course.

[threebetrayals]

There is nothing either of them touch that could be "cute" in any way. Are you drunk?

[concierto]

[He giggles weakly. Then he grabs the doll by two arms and holds it up. Fearlessly.]

Alright, if that's the case! If you could say anything to this doll, anything at all, to ease your feelings! What would you say? Consider it practice.

[threebetrayals]

More like foolishness.

[But...it sounds like something Buer would suggest, so Wanderer will humor Venti. Sort of.]

If it were Dottore? I'd tell him I can't wait to see the life fade from his eyes as someone he doesn't even remember kills him slowly and painfully, revenge for everything he ever did.

[concierto]

[Oh. How ruthless.

... Therapppyy....?

Venti holds the doll up.]

Say it then? Ehe? Like it's actually him?

[threebetrayals]

...why? It's a--ugh.

[Fine. Whatever. He turns to the doll, utterly unamused by all of this.]

I look forward to the day I get to kill you, like you killed Niwa and the rest of the villagers on Tatarasuna. It will be slow, and it will be painful.

[concierto]

[Well then. He's actually not sure how this is going. He peeks his head up from behind the doll.]

Does that make you feel any better?

[threebetrayals]

Not really.

[Maybe.]

It still looks like her.

[concierto]

[Venti has questions. He really does. But... He'll wait for a moment to get to those.

This time he decides to try a ... softer approach.]

Tell me how you feel about Ei.

[Tell Venti. Not the doll. And he specifically calls her Ei to see Wanderer's reaction.]

[threebetrayals]

[Wanderer winces and grimaces at hearing her name.]

Why? So you can tell me how I'm wrong to hate her for abandoning me? For giving up on me before I had a chance to do anything? For making a replacement for her replacement and denying me my birthright?

[concierto]

[Now he'll let go of the floating doll and he'll float towards Wanderer. He reaches out to gently take his hands.

Just a small reminder that Wanderer is his now. Thanks, Ei.]

I'm not here to tell you how to feel. I only want to hear you say it.

[It's not Venti's place to solve the issues between the two of them. Although, as an archon, he has a minor understanding of what might have been going through Ei's mind at the time...]

[threebetrayals]

[He almost pulls away. He does pull one hand away, mostly so he can gesture.]

I had the godsdamned gnosis, you know. It was mine, five hundred years too late. But then the Traveler and Buer decided the Akademyia wasn't allowed to make me into the god I should have been and took it from me.

[He scoffs.]

It's all her fault. If she'd just given me the gnosis like I was supposed to have when I was supposed to have it, none of it would happened! Tatarasuna would have been fine, I never would have met those humans, and no one would have died. And the worst part is? She doesn't even remember me, because I erased myself from Iriminsul, so I can't even do anything. Assuming she remembered me in the first place. Is that what you wanted to hear, Barbatos?

[He's on edge thanks to the damn puppet, and somehow Venti urging him on just. Broke the dam.]

[concierto]

[He's pieced together these little things to form a history of Wanderer's life before coming here. Since he cannot naturally remember who he might be he only has what Wanderer says about his past. But there is such honesty and hurt in his tone that Venti knows it's all true.]

I wanted to hear your heart and what might scare it.

[He thinks he has an idea now. And the doll seems to be floating slowly upwards.]

I can't say what might have been going through her mind in the past. Yet, she created a soul that wants to fix mistakes done through no fault of your own. Because of Dottore or lies, you found your losses and your truth and chased it. Didn't you?

[It's no wonder anemo adopted him.]