Late night in Mondstadt City
Outside the main gate
"Ahhh... finally back. I'm exhausted." Bonanus stood behind Noelle and stretched her arms high above her head. Her legs were sore from all that walking.
Flying was so much better. It was faster.
Even though it was late at night, two Knights of Favonius stood guard at the gate. More knights patrolled the walls around the city.
Because of Stormterror, those annoying monsters had been acting up even more than usual. Everyone had to stay alert.
The two guards greeted them warmly when they saw them return. After a quick chat, they let Noelle and Bonanus into the city.
"Noelle, I'm heading back to the inn. See you tomorrow." Bonanus covered her mouth and yawned. She was really tired.
"Okay. See you tomorrow."
Noelle nodded. Just as she turned to leave, Bonanus seemed to remember something and called out to her.
"Wait. Take this home with you."
Bonanus reached into her pocket and pulled out a photo. It was the picture of her and Noelle hugging.
They looked very close in the photo.
"Ah, thank you! But don't you want it, Sister?" Noelle happily took the photo, then tilted her head in confusion.
Bonanus reached into her pocket again and pulled out another copy, waving it in the air with a grin.
"Your sister isn't that dumb. I have another one."
Noelle's mouth opened slightly in understanding. She held the photo carefully in her hand, as if it were something precious.
"Good night, Sister. I really like you, even though we've only known each other for a few days."
Noelle's cheeks flushed slightly. Her voice was very soft, like a kitten's. She looked adorable.
"Good night. I really like cute Noelle too. See you tomorrow. Sweet dreams." Bonanus grinned. She turned and waved casually at Noelle before walking away.
She really needed to get back to the inn and rest. She wondered if that Anemo Archod, Barbatos, was there. The inn room only had one bed. It looked like she would be sleeping on the floor.
Noelle watched Bonanus leave, holding the photo to her chest. Her eyes sparkled with joy. She whispered to herself,
"Mm... see you tomorrow."
The night in Mondstadt City was very quiet. Aside from the patrolling knights, there was hardly anyone around. Everyone else was probably asleep.
"So quiet." Bonanus muttered. Worried about waking people up, she kept her voice very low.
She loved this kind of quiet. No noise, no need to talk. It always helped her calm down.
She passed by a flower shop. The flowers outside gave off a faint fragrance. With the cool night breeze, it felt like being in a dreamland.
She returned to the inn called "Traveler's Home."
As soon as she pushed the door open, she saw a couple of big men still drinking. They sipped their wine slowly, their faces unreadable.
They drank very carefully, making almost no noise. They didn't speak either. They looked very gloomy.
Two men with stories to tell.
But drinking this late at night, weren't they afraid of dropping dead? If one of them suddenly collapsed on the table, it would cause trouble for the inn.
Not that it was any of her business. She didn't have the energy to care about their stories. She just wanted to sleep.
She walked up to the front desk and was about to greet the attendant, but the woman stopped her.
The attendant put a finger to her lips, signaling her to be quiet. It meant, "It's very late. Please don't make too much noise."
Bonanus nodded in agreement and gave her an "okay" gesture before heading upstairs.
The attendant wasn't the same one she had tipped earlier. The shift must have changed.
Walking up the creaky stairs, each step made a grinding sound. It was a little annoying, but not a big deal. At least the stairs were sturdy.
She reached the familiar door. This was the drunkard's room. But the moment she got close, she smelled something she really didn't like. Something that made her want to throw up.
It was a strong stench of alcohol, the kind left behind when someone got drunk and threw up on the floor. No way. Was that Venti?
Could a god even get drunk? She didn't know, but she definitely smelled that awful odor.
Trouble.
With a very uneasy feeling, she pushed the door open. The strong smell hit her face, threatening to blow the top of her head off.
"Oh my god!"
The stench was so bad that she blurted out a curse. A bard in green clothes lay on the floor, his face bright red, completely unconscious.
That bard was Venti, the Anemo Archon of Mondstadt. The people's beloved god was now lying on the floor, dead drunk.
What a disgrace.
Not far from Venti were some unidentified substances. They were far away from him. So he had thrown up and then moved somewhere else to sleep?
Seeing this mess, Bonanus was speechless. She frowned. She had come back wanting to sleep, and now she had lost all desire to rest.
She had to clean up this mess first. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to sleep at all. She really wanted to grab Venti and punch him, but she probably couldn't beat the Anemo Archon.
Suppressing her annoyance, she went downstairs and borrowed some cleaning supplies from the front desk attendant.
She came back to rest, and now she had to clean. When Venti woke up tomorrow, she was going to have a serious talk with him.
---
After some unpleasant cleaning work...
She finished dealing with the mess, washed the cleaning supplies, returned them to the attendant, and put her hands on her hips with a deep sigh.
"I'm exhausted!" Bonanus muttered. She wiped her face with a towel.
She looked at Venti, still passed out on the floor and shook her head helplessly. She couldn't just leave him there.
She found some blankets and sheets in the room's cabinet and spread them on the floor. This would be her bed for the night.
After setting everything up, she picked Venti up in a princess carry. She was going to put this unreliable drunkard in bed. The floor was too cold.
She didn't know if a god could catch a cold, but the bed was still better.
People who had been drinking tended to be very heavy. An ordinary person couldn't lift them. But Bonanus was no ordinary person.
But the moment she picked him up, Venti did something unexpected. He hugged her. She froze.
This guy. He actually hugged her. Was he harassing her?
"Come on! One more drink. Don't go!" Venti's red face broke into a smile. He mumbled in his drunken sleep.
Bonanus: ...
Even if you're talking in your sleep, that's not an excuse to take advantage of me. She shoved Venti away and tossed him onto the bed.
He was drunk and groggy, his limbs weak and easy to push.
"Rex Lapis is way more reliable." Bonanus muttered. She straightened Venti's position on the bed and pulled the blanket over him.
She opened the window to let some fresh air into the room, then rubbed her tired arms. Why did she suddenly miss Liyue?
Back in Liyue, Bosacius and Xiao took care of her. She hadn't done this kind of work in a long time.
She lay down on the bedding she had spread on the floor, yawned, and suddenly felt very sleepy.
Time to sleep. Good night.