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The door to our teapot mansion creaked open as Paimon and I returned for the night. It was nearly sundown and Paimon and I had been out all day completing commissions, we both were exhausted.
The moment we stepped inside Paimon floated off to her room down the hall besides mine, mumbling about taking a nap before dinner.
Oh if Paimon wasn't immediately going for food she had to be tired….
I followed her down the hall and saw her flop down onto her own bed and she almost immediately started snoring. She really was exhausted, poor Paimon. I'll take her to Good Hunter in Mondstadt for lunch tomorrow to make up for it.
We both deserved a break.
“Sweet dreams Paimon.”
I quietly shut the door so as to not wake Paimon before heading down the hall to my own room next door. When we first got this teapot from Madam Ping I set up two separate bedrooms for Paimon and me. She was reluctant at first not wanting to be too far from me but upon seeing I would be right next door she accepted it.
But when I opened the door to my room I was surprised to see Venti in the middle of it. Sitting on a blanket in the middle of the floor surrounded by plates of food, Sweet Madam, Sticky Honey-roast, even a pot of Barbatos Ratatouille. Along with two cups and a bottle of Apple Cider.
“Ah traveler! Your back, I was hoping you'd be back before the food got cold.”
“Venti, what's all this for?”
“Right, you might not be familiar with this occasion. So today is a holiday known in Tevat called valentine's day, it's a day to celebrate romance and the ones you love in life. I wanted to take you out on a proper date to celebrate but you said you'd be swamped with commissions today. So I thought I'd bring the date to you?”
Venti stood and came towards me as he spoke, gently grabbing my hands and holding them in his. Looking at me with such a hopeful and nervous look. I couldn't help but smile.
“Venti, you didn’t have to do all this for me you know.”
“Nonsense, I love you. Why would I not take the chance to spend time with you on the day dedicated for love?”
I smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek before we both sat down together on the blanket, enjoying the at-home picnic Venti had brought.
“I know you don't like alcoholic drinks so I brought some Apple Cider instead.”
“How in the world did you manage to get all this set up without me noticing?”
“Come now Traveler I'm the Anemo archon, I always have a few tricks up my sleeve. Which shall remain a secret before you ask.”
I couldn't help but laugh and shake my head, I could feel all the exhaustion from today slipping away. There truly is no better way to relax than to spend time with those you love.
After Venti and I finished eating I wrapped some of the leftovers in a sealed container to keep them fresh and left them outside Paimon's door. This way she'd have something to eat if she woke up in the middle of the night hungry.
After cleaning up the rest of the mess Venti and I finally crawled into bed. After running around doing commissions all day, sleep sounded like the best thing in the world.
“My warrior, you've worked so hard. Come get some rest, I promise you'll feel all better tomorrow.”
Venti wrapped his arms around me as I laid my head on his chest, listening to his heart beating inside. It was as soothing as an ancient lullaby.
Soon enough my eyes started to get heavier and heavier, until I could no longer keep them open. The world went dark as I sank into sleep, with only the heart of my beloved archon to lull me under.